New Brunswick couple reunited with wedding ring 23 years after it disappeared

Patience pays off: Ring found after 23 years A farmer found the wedding ring he lost 23 years ago with the help of some local metal detector enthusiasts who wouldn’t give up.

WESTMORLAND COUNTY, N.B. — Leona and Oakley Richards said their “I dos” on their Westmorland County, N.B. farm 23 years ago. However, just two days after their wedding, Oakley's ring went missing.

“It just fell off my finger. I was handling bales of hay,” says Oakley.

On a farm with approximately 200 acres of land, locating the ring seemed like an impossible mission.

Over the years, people searched the property using metal detectors, giving Leona hope that Oakley’s wedding band would be found.

“I said, ‘and incidentally, if you happen to find a gold ring, it’s my husband’s. He lost it,’” recalls Leona.

As the years went by, the Richards began to lose hope. Then, on Sunday, the couple heard a knock on their door. A man who had been using a metal detector on their property was there with the news they’d been waiting for all these years.

“He put his hand up and he said 'describe it.' I lost it,” says Leona.

The man found the ring not far from the barn where they celebrated their wedding.

“After all this time, I didn’t think they’d ever find it,” says Oakley.

The Richards say there are no words to express their gratitude.

“It’s not the ring, it was just like, it’s a symbol for him and I,” says Leona.

The gold ring is now back in its rightful place, on Oakley's finger.