Veteran’s lost wedding ring finds its way back to him in unusual manner

Dennis Doeden / Bemidji Pioneer By Dennis Doeden Today at 11:30 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? BEMIDJI — A Bemidji veteran is smiling a little more broadly this week after fate (and music) brought a treasured piece of jewelry back into his life. Roger Reese lost his wedding ring a few months ago. Several searches came up empty, and the 85-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran was distraught. It was a connection to Joan, his wife of nearly 55 years, who died in 2017. ADVERTISEMENT “So I went to a pawn shop downtown and started looking for a new ring,” Reese said. “I found one. It was a little smaller than mine, but I bought it.” Turns out he only had to wear that replacement ring for about four months. Fred and Vickie Ambuehl went car shopping at Bob Lowth Ford on July 15, the day after her 80th birthday. They were in the market for a used Escape, and one that the dealership had taken in a day earlier fit the bill. Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pione “It was still in the shop, and they hadn’t finished cleaning it,” Vickie said. “So they brought it out, I looked at it and said, ‘I want that one.’ I’ll clean it myself. It only had 2,300 miles on it. So we literally drove it off the lot that day. It was my birthday present.” While giving her new vehicle a thorough cleaning, Vickie found a ring in a back door panel. She took it into the house and showed it to her husband, who used to work at a pawn shop. “Fred looked at it and said it’s real gold,” she said. The Ambuehls recalled that their salesman at Bob Lowth told them the previous owner had brought the vehicle in because he no longer needed it. He was a resident of a senior living facility somewhere in Bemidji. Fred and Vickie are no strangers to places that house the elderly. They’ve been providing music for at least a dozen years for senior citizens in town, with Vickie on vocals and Fred on bass guitar. ADVERTISEMENT MORE LOST & FOUND: Minnesota Minnesota sewer workers find wedding ring down the drain "We've been cleaning sewer mains the last couple of weeks and we found what we believe is someone's wedding ring," Pine River's Public Works wrote on Facebook. Oct 14 · By Staff reports Minnesota 9-year-old finds long-lost wedding ring in Minnesota lake Harper Johansen solved the 10-year family mystery of her uncle’s missing ring. Aug 1 · By Dan Determan Community Owner reunited with class ring lost in a Minnesota lake almost 50 years ago Pequot Lakes student was swimming in Backus area lake when the ring slipped off. Sep 26, 2021 · By Travis G. Grimler Community Brainerd High School class ring returned to owner 15 years after it was lost Dave Mick, a metal detector hobbyist from Baxter, Minn., found a lost 2005 Brainerd High School class ring by Hardy Lake in Pillager and returned it with the help of his daughter, a Brainerd High School teacher. Sep 6, 2020 · By Frank Lee Community Nisswa brothers find 30-year-old badge. Then they find its owner. The lost treasure means a lot to deputy, now a captain with sheriff’s office Aug 12, 2019 · By Jennifer Kraus / Forum News Service Opinion Ann Thomas, Fargo Letter: Ad in Forum resulted in ring being found On Friday, Feb. 9, I lost a very valuable diamond ring. I retraced all the steps I had made that day and left word of the loss at the places I had been. Feb 25, 2007 · By [email protected] After they found Roger Reese’s name on some paperwork in the glove compartment of the Escape, Fred started asking folks at places he was performing, like Neilson Place, the Bemidji Veterans Home and the Bemidji Senior Center. The mystery was solved on Nov. 3 when the Ambuehls were setting up equipment for music at Sanford Health Windsong. Fred asked a gentleman who was helping him if he knew someone named Roger Reese. “I’m Roger Reese,” the man said. Vickie’s jaw dropped. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “He said after he lost the ring, it hurt him because he missed his wife. He told me, ‘She put that ring on my finger in 1962.’ So I said, ‘Let’s put this back on your finger where it belongs.’” Contributed Fred and Roger also shared stories about their military service. Fred, 85, was presented with a Purple Heart after he was injured in the Vietnam War in 1965. He was a machine gunner in the U.S. Army’s first division. A fragment from an exploding land mine tore through his knee on a mission that cost three of his comrades their lives. Roger was assigned to investigations during his 36-year Air Force career. He has been active in Bemidji’s VFW Post 1260, serving on the post’s Honor Guard. He has continued to be of service during his time at Windsong, volunteering in a number of ways. ADVERTISEMENT After the Ambuehls finished their music that day, Reese had a surprise for them. He wanted to give the ring that he bought as a replacement to the couple who found his real one. Contributed “For me, it was one of the most exciting days I've had since I've been here,” Reese said. “When I got back to my apartment, I saw a picture of my wife, and it looked like she was smiling at me.” “All I wanted in return was a hug,” Vickie said. “It was somebody else’s wedding ring.” Fred and Vickie have decided to pay that generosity forward. After having the ring appraised and sold to Ken K. Thompson Jewelry, they have arranged to make a $500 donation to the Bemidji Veterans Home. They plan to present the check on Monday, Nov. 23, when they put on a music show for the residents there. “It was wonderful making somebody so happy,” Fred said. “And, oh yeah, I got my hug,” Vickie added with a smile. Dennis Doeden / Bemidji Pioneer Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags BEMIDJI VETERANS PEOPLE By Dennis Doeden Dennis Doeden continues to write feature stories for the Bemidji Pioneer in his retirement, after serving as publisher from 2001 to 2019 and as a features reporter through 2025. 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