Man proposes after finding missing engagement ring in tornado debris

LAMAR COUNTY, Texas (KXII/Gray News) - A Texas man didn’t waste any time after finding an engagement ring that was lost after a tornado went through their neighborhood.

Dakota Hudson said he hid the ring in a closet of the house but couldn’t find it after a tornado destroyed the home.

However, everything changed on Tuesday.

KXII reports that Hudson found the missing ring, with a little help, while going through debris at the homesite and popped the question to his girlfriend, Lauren Patterson.

According to Hudson, the Paris Junior College softball team helped him in the search and refused to leave without finding the ring.

“When you tell 20 girls someone is going to get engaged if they find a ring, they are going to find it,” Hudson said.

The group said the ring was found about 7 yards from the closet’s location. It was torn from its box and buried 2 inches underground.

“I was just digging through the mud in a particular spot, and I felt a little piece of a metal circle,” said Kate Rainey, a volunteer who helped in the search. “I didn’t believe it when I found it.”

The couple said they are grateful to have one another through such challenging times.

“Finally, you had a moment to smile, and it was a real smile,” Patterson said. “It was a very surreal moment. I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.”

The group also found the couple’s wedding band about 3 feet from the engagement ring.

The couple said they are now planning a wedding after they pick up from the tornado.

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