MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A western Wisconsin woman has found her husband's wedding ring several months after he died in a car accident.
Jessica Steinhorst, 32, of Wauzeka, recovered her husband's ring with the help of a Middleton man who hunts for rings, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office says 33-year-old Lee Steinhorst was killed on June 27 when his minivan crossed the center line of a highway and struck a semitrailer. Officials told Jessica Steinhorst that the damage to her husband's left side was extensive and his wedding ring wasn't recovered.
"It was the one thing that was important to me," Jessica Steinhorst said. "I didn't care about his phone. I didn't care about his clothes. I didn't care about his wallet. I wanted his ring."
Dan Roekle found the ring near a home with a relatively well-maintained yard.
"It was sitting there, plain as day, just waiting to be found," he said.
"Life changes in an instant, but luckily we were able to return something to her to remember him."
The ring was custom-made and had Jessica Steinhorst's fingerprint on the inside. She said she hopes to pass on the ring to her children so they can feel close to their father.
"This gives me something to hold and to remind me of our love and how this was our life together. He's still, hopefully, with me," Steinhorst said.
Roekle, who has a ring-finding business, has found nearly 60 lost rings. He said he's been successful in just over half of his hunts.
"Every ring hunt is meaningful because the ring means something," Roekle said. "Either it was a family member's or the fact that it's a wedding ring. But this one just takes it to a different level of what it means to both her and, ultimately, to her kids one day."
