Wedding Ring Found Under Vail Chairlift Delivered Back To Denver Couple

DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver man has been reunited with the wedding ring he lost years ago. The engraved wedding ring was found under a ski lift earlier this summer.

It was five years ago when David Brenner had gone to Vail on a ski trip with his boys, but he was working on his phone all day and realized too late his wedding ring was gone.

"He had had hand surgery and they had to cut the ring off and it had been re-soldered and resized, so it was a little loose," David's wife Sue Brenner said.

"I have no way to go back and find it, no way. So either it's going to be found by somebody or it's just gone -- and that's how it all started," David said.

"I had completely given up hope. We'd never find it … it was just gone forever." Sue said.

To say the ring was found by chance may be an understatement. There had been four summers of lift inspections before, but this year the employee was looking down instead of up. On Friday that employee got to meet the happy couple.

"Just as amazing that the ring was found and that Ryan was honest enough to turn it in, which to me is a real big part of this story. But almost as exciting as that is … is the way that we found out about it -- just happen chance," Sue said.

When Vail announced in July they had found a ring it reached millions of people online, but the Brenner's weren't near a TV or Internet.

"My wife and I were on a trip, Alaska, 2 1/2 weeks and got back on Aug. 2," David said.

It was a chance loan application meeting at David's work where he found out the ring had been found.

"Greg says, 'David have you lost your wedding ring?' I said, 'No, it's right here.' " David said. "'Wait a minute, I did lose a wedding ring at a ski area one time, but I don't remember where it was, give me a moment,' called my wife on the phone."

"He said, 'Sue, where did I lose my ring?' And I said, 'Vail,' without a moment's hesitation because of course women remember those things," Sue said. "They asked what the inscription was other than 'All my love, Sue,' and he said it's the date 6/20/82 my wedding day."

Now with the ring back to its rightful owners, the Brenner's say they're putting it on display.

"My idea is to get a little plaque that says 'The Ring,' " David said. "It will be the most famous artwork we have in our house."

"It's a happy ending," Sue said.

The Brenners have been married for 32 years. They not only got their wedding band back, but Vail Resorts is letting them spend the weekend there on the house.