Chicago couple returns long-lost wedding ring after pipe discovery
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The chattering teeth and frostbitten fingers of one Chicago couple gave way to warm hearts and good intentions recently when a routine plumbing job unearthed a lost treasure.
While working to fix frozen pipes in their home, Kara Catogge and husband Ian Comes reportedly discovered a long-lost wedding ring they subsequently learned belonged to the home’s previous owner.
Then, with some diligent investigative work, the big-hearted couple fatefully returned the missing bauble to its rightful owners just in time for the couple’s 40th wedding anniversary.
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“I mean, these things happen in the movies usually,” Catogge told WGN 9 News after finding -- and returning -- the ring. “It's almost a cliche' that you find a ring in the drain in the bathroom. We have nothing but the fondest feelings about this horrible ice storm; it's a Happy New Year, indeed.”
The diamond and sapphire ring’s unlikely discovery reportedly came after Catogge and Comes checked on a frozen drainage pipe running from their upstairs bathroom to the rear of their house.
"It was just in the trap,” Comes told WGN 9 News. “We just undid it, and it was completely disgusting. And it just popped out; it just popped out of there. I'm amazed it was there.”
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"It looked old and important to somebody, so that's when we started the search," Catogge told the station.
The couple reportedly tracked down the home’s former owners -- Louise and Randy Hearne -- who had lost the ring during a long-ago family gathering, and had since moved to Colorado.
"I asked him if Louise ever lost a diamond ring,” Catogge said of her ensuing phone conversation with Randy Hearne. “He said, ‘Oh my God, yes.’ He said she did, and I asked if it has sapphires. He just kept kind of gasping almost.”
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Louise Hearne reportedly had never replaced the treasured ring, choosing instead to leave her finger unadorned over the five-year period since its loss. Now, WGN 9 News says she’ll have it just in time for her 40th wedding anniversary.