CLEARLAKE ? An unlikely reunion was made recently following a 61-year separation. Clearlake resident Richard (Dick) L. Kistner regained possession of his 1947 class ring despite it being lost more than 1800 miles away, six decades ago and at the bottom of a lake.
The loss of the ring was the beginning of a life-long love story that began in Wisconsin. Following high school graduation, Kistner and his future wife Henrietta, had exchanged class rings knowing someday they would reunite. Their assumption proved to be true and after 61 years of marriage, nine children, 21 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, the Kistners are still happily married residing in Clearlake.
Although their marriage has been a happy one, Mrs. Kistner said her husband has complained about the loss of the ring for 61 years. She said she had lost it after Kistner had returned to California following their graduation from Darien High School.
“I was swimming one night with my sister Helen, brother Fred and the Karcher boys, Ernie and Oscar,” Mrs. Kistner said. “After our swim in Lake Geneva, I discovered that the class ring was missing from my finger. We looked, but it was dark and I was quite sure that the ring had come off in the water and finding it was impossible.”
Mrs. Kistner said she and her husband received a call a few weeks ago from their sister-in-law Lorraine Koehl, who lives in Wisconsin. “When Lorraine called us she said a 1947 class ring had been found with the initials RLK engraved inside and she asked if we knew anyone with those initials,” she said. “My husband quickly replied that it was him and told Lorraine that I had lost it during the summer after he had left for California.”
Koehl had learned of the find from her daughter who currently works at Delavan-Darien High School, which opened following the closing of Darien high in 1957. “Lorraine”s daughter stopped by to tell her the story about the ring and she called us never thinking that it belonged to Dick,” Mrs. Kistner said. “She said a man had called the school and told the story of how he had found the ring while scuba diving at Lake Geneva at least 15 to 20 years ago when he had lived there.”
According to Mrs. Kistner, the man had called Delavan-Darien High School and inquired about their records. The man was told the school had no information on Darien High School. The man then sought information from the Darien Library where he wasn”t able to find any information either. “The librarian took his name, phone number and the information on the ring and when he didn”t hear from anyone, after a couple of days he put the ring on eBay,” Mrs. Kistner said. “He thinks a miracle happened to get us our ring back.”
The Kistners think it”s a miracle, too. “If Lorraine”s daughter had not told her about the ring this would have never happened and since the ring had Darien High School on the side and the year, the gentleman took the time to call Delavan-Darien High School thinking that maybe they could check the records to see who it belonged to,” Mrs. Kistner said. “She came home and told Lorraine about it because she thought her mother might know.”
The 1947 Darien High School class ring is now on Kistner”s finger where it belongs. “What a happy day,” said Mrs. Kistner. “It was an exciting surprise happening almost to the day of when we got married over 61 years ago. I think we are the luckiest people on the face of the earth. God has been good to us. We were blessed with a miracle.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
