MANSFIELD — Class rings are special.
That’s why Cherie Kissiar, a 1991 Mansfield Senior High graduate cried when she was reunited with her class ring Wednesday after Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Mid-Ohio owner Trent Dawson found it in the sewer.
“It has a lot of meaning to me,” she said. “I don’t know how to describe it.”
Kissiar’s ring was lost soon after she got it her senior year. She said it must have been lost between visits to her mother, who was very sick at the time.
“It (the ring) was one of the last things she bought for me before she died,” Kissiar said, sniffling. “I remember wearing it, but going back and forth from home to doctor appointments, I can’t remember when I lost it exactly.”
Dawson returned Kissiar’s ring, along with Connie (Eberling) Keck’s ring Wednesday at a special event at Mr. Rooter on 946 N. Trimble Rd. He has collected class rings and other jewelry since he became the owner in 2008.
Dawson said he found the class rings while cleaning pipes and sewers.
“This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for my daughter, who asked me one day why I had so many class rings,” Dawson said. “I didn’t know how to answer her. So we thought we’d try to find the owners.”
Four months later, Keck — who traveled from Florida — and Kissiar were reunited with the lost rings.
“I thought I’d never see it again,” Keck said.
Keck graduated from Black River High School in 1969. She remembers her high school building and the 60-something names that attended. Keck said her daughter and friend got into her jewelry box one day and lost it after playing at the Black River middle school.
“But that building is gone now,” she reminisced.
Dawson also has two other rings; he is still searching for the owners. One of the rings belong to Paul, who graduated in 1989 from Ashland High School. Paul was not present at the event Wednesday.
The other ring is still a mystery. All Dawson knows is the year etched into the gold: 1972. He suspects it is from Fredericktown.
“We’ll put them on our Facebook page so people can see who it belongs to,” Dawson said.
He said the ring appears to belong to a female and it has the initials “K” and “S” engraved. The ring has a black stone with an “F” in the center of the stone.
“Today was a very special day from some great people. We are so excited that we were able meet the owners of the class rings we have found in the past few years,” Dawson said. “I want to thank them for making the trip out to our shop today, and I want them to know how happy we are reunited them with their rings.”
Visit Mr. Rooter’s Facebook page to help Dawson find the owner of the lost class ring.
