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ROYALTON, Minn. (KMSP) - Two months ago, Matt Dooyema lost his wedding ring while tubing at Two Rivers Campground in Royalton, Minnesota.
Now, thanks to the determination of an 8-year-old boy, Dooyema said his faith in humanity has been restored.
“I didn’t think to take my ring off,” Dooyema said. “As most married people know, it just becomes a part of your body.”
As he was tubing with co-workers in August on Royalton’s Platte River, the rush took over to the point that Dooyema didn’t even notice until he hit the first sand bar.
“I got dunked and drenched,” he said. “I actually went down the stream and had to catch my tube. I started crying like a baby, I really did. I married my best friend. My wife is my world to me.”
Dooyema lost his ultimate sentiment of love – his wedding ring.
“Luckily, my wife is very understanding,” he said. “I never in my wildest dreams would’ve thought I’d see my ring again. On our two-year anniversary, we went up to Duluth and got our rings tattooed on because the joke is you can never lose that ring.”
On Monday, Dooyema got a message on Facebook from a stranger.
It read, "my family and I were recently vacationing in the Royalton area, and we think we found a ring that might belong to you."
“I’m dumbfounded,” he said.
Back on Sept. 3, Jennifer Ortloff and her eight-year-old son – also named Matthew – stopped at Two Rivers Campground where Matthew thought he saw a gold stone.
“It was my son’s keen eye that made it happen,” Jennifer Ortloff said.
“I picked it up, and it was a men’s wedding ring,” Matthew Ortloff said.
“He was just determined to try every angle he could to get it back to the owner,” Jennifer Ortloff said.
Fortunately, Dooyema’s wedding date, initials and wife’s initials are engraved along the inside of the ring.
“I’m so thankful I didn’t put ‘one ring to rule them all’ on it,” Dooyema said.
The Ortloffs were then able to track Dooyema down on the Minnesota Official Marriage System.
“I never in my wildest dreams even in my wildest fantasies that I ever thought I’d see it again or that anyone would take that time and effort to find it,” Dooyema said. “Matt’s a very special little boy. He’s given me hope for the future of this country. I just hope more kids can be like him.”
“It’s good to give things back to people,” Matthew Ortloff said.