Family of 92-year-old woman offering $1,000 reward to find her lost ring

WALTHAM, Mass. — A 92-year-old woman is praying that her lost ring, given to her by her late husband, will be returned.

And Marie Gladman's family is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of her ring, which is the only possession that she values over anything. It's her engagement, wedding, friendship and 50th anniversary rings all intertwined into one.

"What does it mean? It means my life," Marie told Boston 25 News on Tuesday.

She says the ring fell off her finger while out grocery shopping at Shaw's on River Street and then at Dion's Liquor Store on Friday. An employee heard it, but that's when she realized the more precious ring was gone.

The lost piece represents her life with her late husband, Wally, whom she married 72 years ago.

"The most precious thing I’ve ever had in my whole life. I’d rather have that ring than breathe," she said.

Marie realized the precious ring was gone while inside the liquor store.

"It’s gone! Where did it go?" she said.

Grieving the loss of her sister a few months ago, Marie had lost weight and the ring likely slipped off her finger.

"I wore it constantly, never took it off, but that one day, it was gone," she said.

Since Friday, she has been in tears. As her family retraces her steps, she's been praying to her husband whom she knows would've consoled her.

"The first thing he’s gonna say to me, 'Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it, it’s not the end of the world,'" she said.

Besides Wally's own wedding band, her ring is all she has left of him after his death 18 years ago.

It represents the memories the two created and she doesn't feel whole without it.

"You don’t spend 55 years, just two of you together every day, and not have a bond," she cried.

Marie's family is determined to find the ring for her. They've filed a police report, and are asking anyone who finds the ring to call Waltham police.

Cox Media Group