ROANOKE, Va. – Turner King was on the Roanoke Catholic State Championship team in 2005. The following year, he was traveling with the team from Richmond back to Roanoke when the bus broke down around Charlottesville.
While they were waiting in a hotel, he washed his hands and forgot to put the ring back on.
“Once I realized I never put my ring back on, it was too late. I was already back home. Immediately, I called the hotel, but the ring was nowhere to be found. Losing my first state championship ring hurt,” King said in a Facebook post.
Fast forward to October 2019 when a woman named Carole was looking at rings in Nellysford and found it.
“When glancing at some of the larger rings, she noticed what looked like a class ring. Her curiosity peaked and then asked for a magnifying glass. Essentially with the name of the school and my name inscribed in cursive on the inside of the ring, she was able to easily take the first step in finding its original owner,” said King.
Carole called Roanoke Catholic who talked with staff member Debbie Stump, who then talked to King’s wife, Blake, who works at the school.
“It’s a treasure," Stump said in an interview with 10 News. "It’s something that he holds dear, and to have that back in his possession...it’s like a small little miracle for him to have that ring and for it to make its way home.”
Stump helped arrange the return of King’s ring, but King himself did not know about it until his wife surprised him with the ring at Christmas.
“Blake confirmed that I was missing my ring and that I ‘talked about it all the time’. Welp, after 14 years … at last my ring was found! This Christmas Blake gave me the ultimate surprise. I’m shocked she was able to keep it a secret for nearly two months," King wrote. “While we don’t know the entire story of how my championship ring traveled from a hotel in Charlottesville to Nellysford, VA, I’m sure glad it’s home and now has a cool story. Not too many people would do what Carole did. So, without question, per Carole’s request, I’ll be making a donation to the Good Samaritan Hospice in Roanoke. I cannot thank Carole enough for reconnecting me to what I consider a once-in-a-lifetime prize and the opportunity to remind people we won two state championships during my time at Roanoke Catholic.”