ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – It was a happy Sunday morning for Marty Knight and his cousin James, as they met up with the family of James Carlton Hirt, owner of a blue-stone Mainland high school class ring from 1969.
“I guess News 6 does get results, huh?” Knight said from his home in Starke, Florida. “It was unbelievable-- really indescribable, really. I mean, it was awesome.”
Knight had been searching for the owner of the ring after his cousin James found it in the sands of Ormond Beach last month; a ring that had been lost for decades. According to Knight, after the family saw the story on News 6, the emotional reunion took place at the same spot where the ring was found.
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“The one boy that flew in from California, he asked God ‘cause he’s been having a hard time with his father’s death, even after all this time, and he asked God for a sign and that was three days before I contacted him,” Knight, who is a metal detector said.
Hirt passed away in 2005.
A picture from 1971 provided to News 6 shows Hirt wearing the ring at a wedding where he was the best man. Knight said it was the last time Hirt was seen with the ring on.
“We took that out of the box and slid it on that finger and it was like it was made for him. We were all in tears,” Knight recalled about the moment Hirt’s eldest son, who flew in from California, placed the ring on his finger.
At the reunion another son of Hirt, Hirt’s wife, and three of Hirt’s siblings came together for the special moment.
If you or a loved one have lost a ring, there is a group of metal detectors that may be able to help.
For more information go to https://theringfinders.com/.