LONGVIEW, Wash. -- Thanks to Facebook and perhaps a little bit of luck, a ring that was lost for 22 years is back with a Longview woman.
The ring, which was the high school class ring of Myrna Clark’s late husband, was found over 1,000 miles away in Arizona. It’s not entirely clear how it wound up with the people who found it either.
The tale of Larry Clark’s ring begins nearly 60 years ago at Kelso High School.
“He was a senior and I was a freshman. And the ring itself is the start of our love story,” said Myrna.
The two began to date at school. After Larry graduated, he gave Myrna his class of ’59 ring to wear around her neck to show their love. With a chuckle, Myrna said the ring sent a message. “This is my gal, she’s my girlfriend. And nobody else is allowed.”
Myrna and Larry would marry in 1960 and start a family in Longview. For years, the class ring remained special for the two.
But 22 years ago the ring, which was in a safe, was stolen in a burglary at the Clark’s home. Myrna and Larry figured the piece of jewelry which first symbolized their love had vanished.
“It meant a lot to both of us,” Myrna said.
The Clarks would continue to raise a family in Longview. In December of 2016, though, Larry passed away. He and Myrna had been married for 56 years.
But earlier this month, the story of the ring took an abrupt turn. Myrna was notified by a family friend that someone may have located the ring.
Patty Street, who was friends with the Clark children growing up, spotted a post in a Cowlitz County Facebook group about the ring. The person who had located the ring noted two things: Class of 1959 and the initials “
“The only one that I know that’s ‘LC’ is Larry Clark,” Street said.
She then immediately contacted Myrna.
“I asked her what year Larry graduated. And she told me,” said Street. “And I’m like, ‘I think they found your ring.’ And she’s like, ‘That’s impossible. It’s been gone for 22 years.’”
Sure enough, it was Larry's ring.
Cindy Radcliffe, who splits her time between Longview and Arizona, was the one who found the ring and posted on Facebook looking for the owner.
“Within two hours, somebody came up with a name,” she said of the response to the post.
Radcliffe says she spotted the ring while looking through various storage boxes that had accumulated in her husband’s shop at their Arizona home. An early attempt at spring cleaning had prompted them to rummage through the contents.
“I’m glad we didn’t just take those boxes and give them to Goodwill. Then it would have been lost forever.”
Radcliffe was then put in touch with Myrna and mailed the ring back to her.
“I don’t know how long we’ve had it. I don’t know how long those things were in that box,” she said.
While it’s not clear how the ring exactly wound up in their possession, Radcliffe noted that her husband used to live not far from the Clarks. His children from a previous marriage were friends with the Clark kids. Radcliffe wondered if the ring had potentially been found initially by one of her husband’s kids.
“It’s heartwarming to know that a small piece of [Myrna] has been returned,” said Radcliffe of the ring. “Social media is amazing. It’s just amazing that it’s taken off and that we could find he person it belongs too.”
Myrna says she still can’t believe what happened.
“I’m really thankful that somebody was kind enough to stretch out and do that. And to be able to actually find it is just unbelievable,” she said.
After receiving the ring last week, Myrna wasted no time in taking it to Larry’s grave.
“I wanted him to see it,” said Myrna as she fought back tears. “It was lost. But I feel like I will be able to get back together with him someday too. Just like the ring came back to me.”
