John Riley was fishing one his favorite spots on Lake Nasworthy, near the Spring Creek Marina, when he caught something unexpected. According to the Standard-Times, the Texas fisherman went to check the bait on a few of his poles and reeled one in, only to find a 45-year-old wallet.
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"Because (I was using) a circular hook, it was weird that I was actually able to hook it ... because it's meant for fish," Riley said to Standard-Times. Although much of the wallet was disintegrated and falling apart, Riley found a metal social security card and a military dependent ID, issued in 1972 to Kenneth W. Budden, still intact.
Riley had hoped to return the items to their original owner.
"I put it on Facebook at about 4 o'clock in the morning," Riley said to Standard-Times. "I woke up about 10 a.m. and I already had four Facebook messages from members of the family," he said. "I put it up there and in less than six hours I had found the owners."
Reportedly, the wallet belonged to Budden during the 1970s. Budden lived in San Angelo, and his father was stationed at the Goodfellow Air Force Base. Riley learned that Budden passed away in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. Still, Budden's family was excited about the find. Spring Creek had been one of Budden's favorite fishing spots. The wallet provided an unexpected opportunity for Budden's family to connect and remember their brother.
While bittersweet, this story definitely has a happy ending. Budden's sister, Connie, seems so happy to have a little piece of her brother.
