When Shaz Nicholls met Ken Mansfield, known to many as Bear, she knew he was her forever person.
The couple shared four happy years together before Ken passed away in 2019.
“It was one of those things you just knew that was it, that was your forever person,” Shaz says.
But three years later Shaz has lost one of her most important memories of Ken; a ring she bought him for Christmas.
Ken was a lover of chunky rings, which he would often be seen wearing whenever he went out.
“Everyone that knew him knew he liked his big chunky rings on, he had a lot already when I met him, but I wanted to buy him one especially from me.”
So, for Christmas she purchased him one that he would wear all the time, and when he passed away, it was the most important keepsake she held onto.
But last week, Shaz misplaced her handbag which she kept the ring in, during a visit to the Richmond Hospice shop.
“I left work on Tuesday afternoon, normally I’d go straight into town to train the Victory Boxing girls group but that wasn’t on because of the traffic and emergency, so I thought I’d take the time to have a nosey at the op shop for things I don’t need.”
A while after she got home with her new haul she realised she didn’t have her bag, so the following day headed back to the store to see if it had been located.
“They suggested I go next door to Armstrong Security who have cameras operating, they checked for me and could see I walked into the shop with the bag, but when I came out, I didn’t have it on my shoulder.”
Shaz says what happened in between in a mystery.
“I had my hands full at the counter, so I’ve worked out from there I’ve potentially put my bag down, got my phone out with my card and grabbed my keys at the same time, but I’ve probably left my bag at the counter, from there it’s become a real mystery.”
She says the women at the Hospice store were very helpful and checked out back incase it had been picked up as a donated bag, but no luck.
Shaz says someone may have picked it up or maybe purchased it thinking it was a donation.
She describes the handbag as a small black shoulder bag with a very light fur coating on one side, inside it is a small yellow gauze bag with a drawstring top which contains the ring and an old fashioned key – another memento from Ken’s niece’s wedding, a special memory for the couple.
She says the other things in the bag don’t matter, but the ring; “He’s worn it, it’s the one thing after he passed away that I keep with me everywhere I go.
“If I changed my handbag its always something that I kept with me, I’m not usually so careless.”
To the person who may have picked the bag up or accidentally purchased it Shaz has a plea; “Please realise how sentimental it is, when someone’s passed away, it’s the keepsakes that hold those memories.”
She says there would be no ill feelings at all, she just wants her forever man’s ring back. If you have any information about the missing bag email sara@topsouthmedia.co.nz
