Pennsylvania woman receives mother's ring 50 years after it was lost

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A high school class ring lost by a Pennsylvania woman 50 years ago was presented to the woman's daughter after a man found the long-lost item on a beach.

Stephanie Livelsberger said her mother died 19 years ago, but when she was alive, she revealed that her Steelton-Highspire High School class ring had been lost for a long time.

"When I graduated, picking out my class ring I had said to my mom, 'Where's your class ring?' And she had told me she had lost it shortly after she had gotten it," Livelsberger told WHTM-TV.

The ring, it turned out, had been found about a decade ago by Pittsburgh resident Timothy Noll, who said he found the item on a beach during a vacation.

Noll said the ring was engraved with the name of the school and the initials KMJ. He said he reached out to the school shortly after finding the ring, but never heard back.

Noll said he was recently inspired to try again when he was able to reunite a woman with a ring he found at a grocery store where he works.

"I put it on social media. Within 24 hours she showed up, got her wedding ring back. Her husband just passed away so it was a really nice thing to do," Noll said. "So I came home that day, I looked in my jewelry box and said you know what I'm going to call the school."

Steel-High Assistant Principal Jennifer Morrison looked at school records and determined Livelsberger's mother, Kathleen Marie Jurina, was the only 1971 graduate with the initials KMJ.

Morrison was able to find Livelsberger on Facebook and arrange for her to take possession of her mother's long-lost ring.

"Albeit a little bittersweet moment, her mom's passed away, but at least she can hold on to that," Noll said. "You just always wonder how did she lose it, how did it fall off."

Livelsberger said she plans to keep a close eye on the ring.

"It means so much to have a piece of my mom back with me. It's going to be an heirloom," Livelsberger said. "I have one child so sooner or later she's going to get the class ring to hold on to."

A Massachusetts man was recently reunited with his class ring after a similar period of time. Jack Healey said he noticed his Attleboro High School Class of 1961 ring was lost during a move around 1970.

The ring turned out to have been found by the family that moved into Healey's former home in Raynham.

A member of the family contacted the Attleboro High School Alumni Association in December, and the post eventually reached Healey, who found the ring still fits him -- but only on his pinkie finger.