Pat Sweeney was doing some landscaping at St. Joseph Catholic Church 10 years ago when he noticed the bowling ring he wore had slipped off his hand.
Sweeney, a lifelong resident of Lake Orion, received the ring after he bowled his first 300 game while playing for the Pontiac Firebird league.
Then several weeks ago, the ring Sweeney was sure he would never see again arrived at his front door.
An Orion Township Department of Public Works crew, working at St. Joe’s, found Sweeney’s ring and began to search for him so it could be returned. Calling all the Sweeneys they could find, they found Pat.
‘William Basigkow from the DPW called and he asked me if this was Patrick Sweeney,? Sweeney said. ‘He said he found a ring and went through every Sweeney in the book.?
Sweeney said he had ‘given up? on ever finding his ring.
‘I was planting a lot of trees and doing landscaping there, and I didn’t know where it fell off,? he said. ‘I just forgot about it.?
Basigkow brought Sweeney the ring, and Sweeney said he wanted to take Basigkow and his wife out for dinner but Basigkow said that wasn’t necessary.
‘I showed him the plaque that matched the date on the ring,? Sweeney said. ‘I used to bowl three nights a week. I had another 300 game, but I took a watch for that one instead of a ring.
‘I was so excited to have it back,? he said. ‘I don’t take it off now.?