When something is lost for a few weeks, you basically assume that it's most likely gone for good. This is especially true if something has been missing for DECADES. Well, this story is a pleasant surprise.

KCRG reports that a wedding ring that was lost for over 40 years has been returned to its rightful owner. Ray Schmuecker couldn't remember exactly how he lost his ring, but he told KCRG that he thinks it happened in 1974 when he was helping a friend do some work on a vehicle. He figured the ring slipped off when he took his glove off during the project. Schmuecker's wife Virgene, who was battling breast cancer, quickly replaced the lost ring with an almost identical one.

Let's rewind a bit. Ray would take his wife to her chemotherapy appointments in Iowa City, which is how he came across a '72 Oldsmobile that he loved the look of. He also wanted a smooth riding vehicle for his wife, so he bought it! The Schmuecker family made a lot of memories in the car from their three children learning how to drive in it to the family of five taking their last vacation together before Virgene passed away.

Fast forward to today. The Oldsmobile was up for sale, as it wasn't what it was back in the day and had been sitting for about 20 years. Will Frye, owner of a '69 Oldsmobile, was in need of a motor after his died last summer and saw Schmuecker's ad in the newspaper. It was a perfect fit, and the Schmuecker's happily sold their '72 to Frye, who could get good use out of the motor and, in a way, help Virgene's memory live on, as they told KCRG.

Things got interesting when Frye started working on his recently purchased motor to put into his '69.

I was kind of chipping away at it, I had blew it all off with the air hose, and I could hear, you know, nuts and bolts and stuff hitting the ground, but it was just one big grease ball on the floor," Frye told KCRG.

That's when he noticed a somewhat shiny little object. After picking it up and examining, it was a ring!

Frye called Ray's daughter Cabana to see if anyone in the family lost a wedding band. After texting her a picture of the ring, she confirmed it was her father's long lost wedding band! After all of these years! As you can imagine, Ray couldn't be happier to have his original ring back. Who knew he had it (in a way) the whole time.

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