Good Samaritan Reunites Lost Wedding Band With Owner: 'It's A Miracle'

When Michele Rowan found a gold wedding band in an Acme parking lot in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, she knew she had to get it back to its owner.

The self-proclaimed "die-hard romantic" thought her quest to return the ring would be easy. As she put it, "Surely, they must be looking for it?" Rowan left her contact information at the Acme, then went to the nearby post office, Michaels and Hallmark to ask if anyone was looking for a gold wedding band. "No luck," she told Patch.

Still, she didn't give up hope. After reading about Patch and T-Mobile's Good Deeds, Great Communities initiative — a nationwide campaign celebrating acts of kindness — she got in touch.

"Hi there Patch! My name is Michele and I desperately need your help," she wrote, explaining when and where she found the gold band. "The wedding ring has engraving as well as a few dents — so I know it was well loved … Won't you please help me find the owner?"

It didn’t take long for the story to get traction. Patch shared a lost-and-found article featuring a photo of the ring in Newtown Square and neighboring communities. A few days later, Rowan got a call from Tom McNaney, who had seen the Patch article and reached out.

"She wanted to know what the initials were on the ring," McNaney told Patch. "And they were mine — TSM! She told me her address, and I asked, 'When can I come see you?' She said anytime, and I said, 'how about now?'"

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McNaney drove to Rowan's home, where she was waiting for him in the driveway. "She had the ring in a little white piece of cloth to protect it," McNaney recalled. "She handed it to me, and I am so appreciative."

Mr. McNaney and his wife, Joanne, were married in 1962. He’d recently had his wedding band enlarged and thought it may have fallen off in front of his home when he slipped on ice.

"I spent almost a month looking for it," McNaney told Patch. "I was looking inside and outside the house — I didn't know I lost it there [in the Acme parking lot] ... But let me tell you, I think it's a miracle the way that it turned out — that Michele found it, and that she went to the effort to find me."

Rowan, who Mr. and Mrs. McNaney describe as "an angel," was "absolutely thrilled" by the outcome as well.

"If you could have seen the joy and heard his wife squeal with delight when I verified his initials, well it was special," she told Patch. "Sometimes we all just need a little good news to brighten up our day. Mr. McNaney certainly did brighten up my whole weekend."

Rowan was quick to point out that "the ladies at customer service in Acme listened and kept my number posted," which helped Mr. McNaney get in touch.

"And I am so very thankful that Patch took the time to hear and post my story," she said. "If it weren't for you, we would never have found [Mr. McNaney]."

Rowan’s good deed led to an outcome few could have predicted. Both she and the McNaneys hope their story will encourage others to pay it forward — in whatever way feels meaningful to them. For the McNaneys, that means supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"St. Jude's is just wonderful," McNaney told Patch. "They help children who have cancer, and sometimes they're part of finding cures, too."

One small act — taking the time to return a lost ring — ended up restoring something priceless. It’s a reminder that kindness doesn’t just help one person. It ripples outward.

If you’ve seen or experienced an act of kindness in your community, we’d love to hear about it.

Click here to share a recent good deed — whether it’s something you did yourself or something you witnessed. It could be big, like organizing a fundraiser or improving a local space, or simple, like checking on a neighbor or offering support when it was needed. If you’re submitting a kind act done by someone else, please be sure you have their permission before sharing their story.

When you submit, you’ll include your state and ZIP code. That helps power our real-time leaderboard, updated throughout the submission period, so you can see how your community is participating. You’re welcome to submit more than one act of kindness.

The submission period ends March 31, 2026. At the end of the initiative, Patch will select one community, at its discretion, and make a $500 charitable donation to a local nonprofit.

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Submit your good deed here and help keep Good Deeds, Great Communities growing.

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Leaderboard results are for engagement purposes only. Any donation associated with the project will be made by Patch, and the recipient will be determined by Patch.