Local woman receives her class ring after it was found in a flower bed in Holt subdivision
Dietz wears her found class ring on her pinkie finger
Century High School class ring was found after being lost for 50 years
Janice A. (Johnson) Dietz, 72, said she remembered how hard her parents saved money to be able to purchase her 1966 Century High School graduation ring. She lost her ring a few years after graduating but got a very special birthday gift in early October when the ring she lost some 50 years ago was found buried in a flower bed in the Holt Subdivision in Flomaton.
Brittney Wells and her children had been in the new home in Holt Subdivision for about two months when they decided to clean out the flower bed. Her 3-year old daughter Charlee was digging in the bed when she said "Look mommy, it's a ring."
Wells said she used a tooth brush to clean the ring and discovered it was a 1966 CHS class ring that had the initials J.A.J. inscribed on the inside. Wells posted a photograph of the ring on Facebook, which was quickly shared by 146 people.
Mrs. Dietz said she was scanning through Facebook last Monday and saw the photograph.
"When I saw the ring, I said "That looks like my ring", Mrs. Dietz said. "When it said the initials J.A.J. inscribed I went crazy. I was in tears, I was so excited."
Mrs. Dietz responded to Wells's Facebook page with her telephone number and Wells responded.
"I really didn't expect the find the owner," Wells said. "But she wrote me on Facebook and I called her."
Wells then brought the long lost ring back to Mrs. Dietz.
"I was just glad to find her," Wells said.
Mrs. Dietz said she's not sure how the ring got into that particular flower bed, but figures she must have dropped it, noting she visited Holt Subdivision often.
"I tried to give her some money but she wouldn't take a penny," Mrs. Dietz said of Wells. "It's so weird that it came back to me after so many years."
She said not long ago she saw a former classmate, Pam Brown, who had her class ring on.
"I said "I wish I still had mine"," Mrs. Dietz said. "My birthday was on the 18th and 10 days later the ring came back."
She said she didn't wear the ring much because she didn't want to scratch it up. Today it's back on her hand, noting that now it only fits on her little finger.
