Husband Dives Into Sewage to Save Wedding Ring

Jan. 21, 2008 — -- A Seattle husband showed the depths of his devotion to his wife when he went to extraordinary lengths to recover her wedding ring.

Ryan Severn has been married to his wife, Ann, for seven years. They work weekends cleaning an office building to earn extra cash. When Ann took off her wedding band before she started cleaning last weekend, it fell into the sewer. She was upset and soon began crying, prompting Ryan to leap into action, just moments after he and his wife watched the ring plop down into a parking lot drain.

"I strip down in underwear," he said, "and went in."

His first attempt to locate the ring was unsuccessful, but he refused to give up. Ryan went out and bought a wet suit and sifted back through the muck with a homemade strainer to try and find the band.

"There's actually fish down there and unidentifiable floaty things [in the sewer]," he said.

His determination didn't pay off initially because he came up empty handed, again.

"She's ready to give up. I'm not ready to give up," he said before he changed strategies, again.

Ryan called in professionals to pump water out of the drain.

With his fingers crossed and hope in his heart, he watched as the ring was finally recovered from the goopy mess.

"I had my doubts, definitely had my doubts," Ryan said.

Now, the symbol of their unbroken bond is again on Ann's finger — after an extensive cleaning.