TAYLOR -- A woman from Lackawanna County had lost all hope that she'd find her most precious possession, and had lost hope in the honesty of people. Then, that all changed when she learned that a nameless stranger had returned her missing engagement ring.
Marge Slaboda of Taylor got the engagement ring 44 years ago. Now, it's a symbol that reminds her of her late husband. So, you can imagine her distress when she returned home from shopping and noticed the ring was gone.
"I felt empty. I felt like my husband just died again. It just means so much to me," Slaboda said.
Her family went back to Walmart in Taylor where they had been shopping and searched but nothing turned up. In the bustle of holiday shopping, Slaboda was sure her diamond was gone for good.
"Because this time of year people are desperate for one reason or the other, everybody needs money, we're all in the same boat. I thought, 'oh, it's going to be sold'. It's not worth a million dollars but it's worth a lot," Slaboda added.
Slaboda made one last check with the lost and found and her ring had shown up. Employees said a maintenance worker swept it up and took it there, but at that time that's all they knew.
Slaboda called Walmart corporate offices hoping to thank the maintenance worker who found her ring. However, those officials and managers at the store in Taylor had no idea who the employee was.
"There are still good honest people in the world. You don't see them to often, all you hear about is crime, but unfortunately it's the way of the world," Slaboda said.
Her ring was returned, but Slaboda said she also got a restoration of faith in the goodness of people. When that worker could have gotten an easy buck, he did the honest thing.
Officials with Walmart said they did some digging after being contacted by Newswatch 16 and they figured out who returned Slaboda's ring. He's a maintenance worker for the Taylor Walmart. Slaboda said she's hoping to reward him somehow.