VESTABURG, Mich. (AP) -- Maybe it wasn't quite a Christmas miracle, but it certainly was a big shock for Gerald Kilmer.
Nearly 33 years after losing his college class ring, it recently was returned thanks to the persistence and some good detective work by Tom Lance.
"I had forgotten all about it," said Kilmer, a 1975 graduate of Ferris State College, now Ferris State University. "I was very, very surprised (when Lance called). I had to ask my wife if I had lost it. She said, 'Yes you did."'
His wife Linda had bought the ring for him as a gift when he graduated.
Kilmer, 62, lives is Vestaburg and has been a pharmacist at Kmart in Alma since 1980.
Lance recalls finding the ring at the former Alma College tennis courts.
"My wife and I came over to play and I got tired and sat down," Lance said. "I put my hand down and there was the ring. I tried for two or three years to find the owner but then forgot all about it.
Lance, a 54-year-old Ithaca native, worked at Lobdell Emery Manufacturing in Alma before leaving to start Ithaca Coatings with partner Jeff Humphrey.
In 1996, he sold his share of the business and moved to Florida and the ring went with him.
Lance and his wife Sherrie now live in Jasper, Ind. but were back in the area visiting relatives.
"I never gave up trying to find him," Lance said. "But we didn't have the technology back then we do now."
He called the Ferris State admissions office. Using the three initials inside the ring and the graduation year, Lance was able to find the last address the college had for Kilmer, which was in his home town of Alanson in northern Michigan.
"I got a post office box but when I called the postmaster said the person with that box number was dead," Lance said.
Fortunately, further investigation proved that to be incorrect.
So Lance got on his computer and did a search for Kilmer using the information he had.
"I found someone who I knew was about the right age so I called and told him, "I think I have your college class ring,"' Lance said. "I don't think he believed me at first."
Lance added that he never considered trying to sell the ring.
"I just couldn't do that," he said. "But this was going to be my last try (finding the owner). I'm just glad I was able to do that after all these years."
The return came just in time.
"My wife had planned on replacing it for me for Christmas," Kilmer said.
After being without if for more than three decades, he plans to show it off.
"I'm going to clean it up and have it resized, since I've gained a little weight since then," Kilmer said laughing. "Then I'm going to wear it."