Lost class ring returned 47 years later

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WJAR) - A class ring lost nearly 50 years ago on a beach near Seattle has been returned to its owner after turning up in Washington state.

“The ring means a lot to me because it brings back great memories of my mother,” Paul Benson said.

Ring lost at beach near Seattle

Benson graduated from St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket nearly 50 years ago. One summer, his brother, Eric Benson, borrowed the ring and took it out West, eventually to a beach near Seattle, where he was wrestling with friends.

“I just took the ring off, put it down on the rock,” Eric Benson said.

As the tide rolled in, the ring was gone. Eric Benson said he thought, “My brother is going to kill me.”

Asked by reporter Jake Baum what his reaction was when he learned his brother had borrowed and lost the ring, Paul Benson said Eric never told him.

Found with a metal detector

The ring stayed on the beach off Puget Sound for nearly 50 years. In November 2025, Seattle native Lucas Thrun found it with a metal detector.

Thrun said parts of the beach were exposed that normally are not. He said there is a video of him finding the ring.

Thrun has hunted for items on Seattle beaches for years.

“This is the stuff that people in my hobby dream about,” Thrun said.

Returned in person

Thrun contacted the school, but the school had no way to reach Benson. Through friends, Thrun and others found Benson’s address and went to his door.

“I was napping,” Benson said.

Benson said he was stunned. After initial disbelief, he was eager to meet the man who would return his ring.

“If it wasn’t for him, it would just be a lost memory,” Benson said.

Thrun flew to Rhode Island, nearly 3,000 miles from where he found the ring, to hand it back in person. Eric Benson, who now lives in Israel, made it a priority to be there.

“Little did I know it would be a 47-year history. He forgave me. But trust me, he never forgot,” Eric Benson said.

Eric Benson also said, “Next time I take the ring, I’m gonna ask him.”

Baum asked Paul Benson whether the experience showed that there are still good people in the world. Benson answered, “Yes.”

“It’s about life in general and how pieces fall into place, and Lucas kind of brought that all together for me,” Benson said.