Chain Installer Finds Man's Lost Silver Wedding Ring In Snow

BLUE CANYON (CBS13) - It was like finding a needle in a hay stack, a silver wedding ring in a mound of snow.

The only information Douglas Benedetti has on the person that owns the ring is they drove a white SUV and what's inscribed on the inside, "Lisa 5th June 2010."

"I'm gonna find that ring; I'm gonna find it tonight, and I did," said Benedetti.

A snow chain installer, Benedetti was working on east Interstate 80 near Kingvale late one Friday when he saw a man jogging up and down the shoulder in a panic.

"He wasn't wearing the clothing for the weather, and he was using the light on his cell phone to look for it in the snow," said Benedetti.

The man told Benedetti that he lost his wedding ring while putting chains on his tires.

"His hands got cold, and it slipped off, and he went back looking for it, and had no luck," said Benedetti. "He was disappointed, definitely disappointed."

Benedetti says after the man drove off with his wife, he decided to help. He started his search for the stranger's wedding ring after work, around 1 a.m.

"He kinda gave me a general idea, about a 1/8 to a quarter mile stretch of roadway to look for it," said Benedetti.

Armed with his heavy snow gear on and led lights he uses to chain tires, Benedetti walked along Interstate 80, until something caught his eye.

"I picked up a lot of chain links. There was a lot of trash, but when I saw it, it was perfectly round and sunk in the snow. I scooped it up and once I saw Lisa's name on it, I knew I had a wedding band for sure, and I had the right ring," said Benedetti.

But he never got the owner's number. He didn't even ask his name, but he also never expected to find the ring in the frigid, deep snow in the middle of the night.

"A sentimental piece for a special time in their life, and they don't need to have it lost on the side of the highway," said Benedetti.

It was lost but somehow found by a man only interested in paying it forward, and hoping to give the owner an unforgettable Christmas gift.

"I was able to do for him what he couldn't do for himself, and I'd like to give it back to him; and he, in return, can pay it forward to someone else later in life," said Benedetti.

Benedetti hopes someone who knows the owner will see our CBS13 story so he can reunite him with his most prized possession. He thinks the couple was traveling from the bay area to Lake Tahoe for the weekend.