Janitor Spots Purse Behind School Locker Before Learning The Unsettling Reality
Her Moments Staff
From cramming in the library to illicitly hanging in the hallways, memories of high school will last a lifetime. Some moments, items, and lessons, however, manage to slip through the cracks. In fact, one object remained hidden in a school hallway for decades until it was recently uncovered. And its contents revealed something very unexpected.
Busy School Year
From September through June of each year, school buildings around the country are packed full of students. Hoover Middle School in North Canton, Ohio, was no exception to that rule.
Behind-The-Scenes Work
Running a school, however, takes plenty of work behind the scenes. While everyone knows that teachers do a great deal for their students every day, custodians don't always receive the same credit.
Chas Pyle
One of those under-appreciated workers was Chas Pyle. In May 2019, though, he had a specific task; this would go beyond simply sweeping the floors or changing some lightbulbs.
Messy Lockers
As any student can tell you, a locker is an essential part of everyone's day. This time, however, Hoover Middle School's lockers needed a little bit of TLC. Thankfully, Chas was on the case.
Broken Lockers
In one stretch of hallway, there was a particular bank of lockers. The trim, which connected the metal to the wall, had somehow come loose. It needed to be reattached. So began a grand adventure.
Getting To Work
Nothing was seriously broken, so Chas didn't think it would be a big job. He sized up the situation and got to work; without breaking a sweat, he had popped the offending piece of metal loose.
Strange Sight
Now that the trim was completely off, the custodian simply needed to reattach it and get on with his responsibilities. Something, however, caught his eye and stopped him in his tracks.
Tucked In The Crevice
In the dusty space between the locker and wall, there was something red sitting on the floor. While he wasn't sure what he had spotted, Chas fished it out from the crevice.
Lost Purse
It was a red purse! Clearly, some student had lost her beloved bag and its contents behind that piece of metal locker trim. Surely, Chas thought, she would want her possessions back.
Taking It To The Office
Well, when something goes wrong in a school, what happens? You head to the office! Chas picked up his newfound purse and did just that. They were going to get to the bottom of this.
Investigating The Item
While it usually isn't okay to rummage through someone's purse, the school staff decided that this was a special circumstance. They slowly opened the zipper, hoping to find a clue of the owner's identity.
Patti's Purse
Inside the purse, they found several items that belonged to Patti Rumfola. As they dug deeper, though, they encountered a problem. It wouldn't be easy to return this purse after all...
60 Years Missing
Patti wasn't a current student.... or someone who had been in the building recently. She graduated from Hoover High School in 1960; her purse had been lost for nearly 60 years!
A Glimpse At Her Life
While Patti hadn't been a student for quite some time, her purse was chock full of stuff. It didn't have a clue to her whereabouts, but it did provide a glimpse into her former life and the things she held dear.
The Contents
First and foremost, there were plenty of school supplies. Patti definitely made sure that she was prepared for class! There was also some makeup and a single stick of Beech-Net chewing gum.
Old Ticket Stubs
That wasn't all Patti was carrying, though. The purse also contained some faded baseball and football schedules and a couple of old ticket stubs. She definitely had plenty of school spirit!
Passed Away
With the help of Facebook, the school tried to track down Patti. Eventually, though, they hit an unfortunate dead end. She had passed away 2013 at age 71. There was one silver, lining however.
Passing It To The Kids
Patti had five children, so the school sent them the purse. While it helped them see a side of their mother they never knew, the kids also found something else in the bag.
Old Wallet
Within the purse, there was a faded teal wallet containing a few coins. While currency might have changed over the years — good luck buying anything for a penny — they still provided an opportunity.
A Token Of Mom
Those coins, which were tarnished with time, became a prized possession. "Each of her five children kept one of the wheat pennies as a token of remembrance of their mom," the school explained in a Facebook post.
Look, But Don't Touch
Though in light of Patti's passing they quickly followed up with a reminder that you should never pick up any money you find placed in a graveyard; these aren't meant for your piggy bank. They're actually symbols that, for some, are part of the grieving process.
Graveside Tributes
Mourners from all walks of life leave mementos at the graves of their loved ones. You'll usually see flowers, photographs, or personal trinkets, though a specific group is behind the mysterious coins.
Military Currency
It turns out that the American military is largely responsible for this phenomenon. Theirs is a lifestyle rooted in ritual and tradition, but not all of their ceremonies are born out of official orders. The coins relate to the most difficult time of any soldier's life.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Tragically, many veterans know the grief of losing a close friend. Those who make the ultimate sacrifice for their country are laid to rest with the highest respect, though their comrades also honor them in their own way. The coin custom became more widespread during the one of the bloodiest and most complicated conflicts in its history.
Vietnam War
Many believe that coins on gravestones began during the tumultuous Vietnam War. During those 19 violent years, almost 60,000 American service members died. Even back home, the conflict took its toll.
A Controversial Topic
During that time, the country was divided in more ways than one. Families struggled with the burden of losing a loved one or having a child being forcibly sent overseas. Because the war seemed so senseless and unending, it was the first time in American history where soldiers weren't welcomed home. Some were actually insulted upon their return. That’s where the coin came in.
A Quiet Message
Even military funerals sparked tense conversations about foreign policy, class inequality, and draft dodging, but service members didn't want to lose sight of those who lost their lives overseas. They started placing certain coins on their fellow soldiers' graves. There are various theories as to what this gesture actually means.
Down Payment
One theory says that back when they were alive and well, the soldiers used to go out drinking all the time. Coins on the graveyard signify a “down payment” on the next round at God’s bar. But coins and death have also been linked for thousands of years.
Ancient Roots
According to Greek mythology, certain rituals needed to be followed when someone died to help the deceased travel to the next world. But there was a gatekeeper — a ferryman named Charon — and he wasn’t cheap!
Bribed Into Heaven
The Greeks placed two coins on the eyes of the dead to pay the ferryman, and the superstition soon spread. After all, the consequence of not having enough to pay was being stranded on the River Styx for one hundred years! However, some historians point out that a more modern legend may be responsible.
The Black Donnellys
One immigrant family nicknamed “Black Donnellys” also had something to do with the coin tradition. An ordinary family who settled in Ontario, Canada, in the 19th century, they soon became the stuff of legend after getting embroiled in a feud with another clan.
Family Massacre
The conflict escalated over the years, but it got bloodier than anyone could've imagined. The rivals brutally murdered the entire Donnelly family in 1880. Besides becoming a sensation in the newspapers, locals spread a legend about the victims' gravesite.
Wishes Fulfilled
The myth held that every time someone drops a coin on the Donnellys' burial site, their long lost wishes from when they were alive become fulfilled. This was likely an extension of the original Greek superstition, but modern-day veterans took the tradition and made it their own.
Memorial Day Tradition
Regardless of the origins, American troops put their own spin on it. Most cemetery coins are placed on Memorial Day, and in addition to paying tribute to the hero buried there, they also reveal something about the person who placed them. Each American coin has a distinct meaning.
Penny Graver
As the smallest coin in denomination, a penny represents someone who is only marginally familiar with the idea of giving up your life for your nation. So when a one-cent coin is on a grave, it means that someone outside the military has come to pay respects to a fallen soldier!
Nickel Memory
Then, when you move up in the value of the currency, the meaning gets a little more personal. A nickel on a tombstone, for instance, means that the giver went to boot camp with the fallen soldier.
Dime's Regimen
Dimes are the exception to the rule, as they signal a bit more distance between the visitor and the deceased. Putting one of these on a gravestone means that you were in the same regiment. But as you'd expect, the biggest common coin has a powerful significance.
Power Of A Quarter
Quarters are the rarest coins to find in a cemetery; only a select few have a right to place them on grave markers. They mean that the giver was present when the soldier died. It's a moving symbol, though you might wonder what happens to these coins.
Back To The Graveyard
Someone does actually pick them up, though thankfully, it's just the cemetery groundskeeper. These funds are added up and go to worthy causes — usually to the upkeep of these burial grounds or to pay for military funerals. After all, there's a lot that goes into running a cemetery, and most people never think about these issues.
The Business of Death
Buying a grave plot has to be one of the top items on the list of things most people don't like to think about. As it turns out, however, plots are not the only feature of cemeteries that your average joe tends to look past.
Steep Costs
Ultimately, a cemetery is a business just like any other. It needs to attract customers, offset costs, and keep up with the changing times. But as of late, graveyards are having more trouble making money than ever.
Mike Ciamaga
Just ask Mike Ciamaga. The New Yorker started a summer job at Brooklyn's Washington Cemetery decades ago and rose to the position of manager. Now that he's at the top, his organization is running into an unexpected and potentially fatal issue.
Limited Room
They've nearly run out of available grave plots, the main revenue driver for any burial ground! Washington has already pushed its boundaries to the limits by squeezing in additional memorials under train tracks and around its offices.
Thousands of Dollars
Though its recent plot prices surpassed $16,000, that high price tag can only keep Mike and his colleagues afloat for so long. Locals continually approach him looking to buy, but Washington simply doesn't have the supply to keep up with the demand.
A Crowded Spot
For long-established burial sites like Washington Cemetery, the only answer is to increase density. Rather than sell individual sections of land, they can increase capacity by utilizing more mausoleums.
Cremations
For a more cost-effective measure, burial grounds can also save space through cremations. Of course, this option is completely dependent on the preferences of the deceased.
Moving Graves
On occasion, graveyards relocate entirely to keep business afloat. They may switch to a larger location, especially if they occupy prime real estate that land developers want to purchase. Nevertheless, many of them are still digging their own (financial) graves.
Short-Sightedness
According to Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association chairman John Llewellyn, most cemeteries aren't planning ahead for the future. While they're mandated to put much of their revenue in a long-term savings account, this alone won't keep them alive.
A Moral Duty
Graveyards are indebted to provide a place for the deceased forever. Unfortunately, the costs of upkeep also go on for eternity. These businesses have to pay for landscaping and cover taxes, regardless of how many burials happen that month.
Poor Maintenance
For some establishments, it's all just too much. The management packs up and leaves the grounds and markers to crumble. Perhaps another party will come in to fix things up, but in many cases, no such rescue ever arrives.
Grim Forecast
By and large, the forecast for traditional graveyards doesn't look good. Though that doesn't mean that some locations aren't adapting. Take, for example, this family picnicking between tombs. If you can believe it, the cemetery is encouraging it!
Multiple Purposes
This is the new strategy of the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. They're aiming to bring burial grounds back to the living by setting aside special time slots for group events, runner happy hours, and yoga classes!
Beautiful Victorian Cemeteries
Their outlook is not an entirely original one. It harkens back to the Victorian Era when architects meant for burying sites to double as public green spaces. Masterpieces like the Mt. Auburn Cemetery outside Boston featured the most advanced landscaping ever seen.
For the Living
Laurel Hill took that same approach and updated it for the 21st century. On warm summer evenings, they've taken to hosting movie nights. Other cemeteries, meanwhile, have transformed themselves into literal art spaces.
Illumine Exhibition
Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery dates back to before the Civil War. Georgians recently came up with a unique way of celebrating its history with the annual Illumine exhibition. Over several nights, an array of lights and displays detail the stories of the inhabitants.
Place of Beauty
This event makes Oakland a more interactive site, morphing it into a place of remembrance and beauty. It also doesn't hurt that Illumine has a cash bar inside the cemetery grounds.
Need to Adapt
A more active programming slate could very well be the salvation for memorial parks everywhere. Nevertheless, they still need to set aside hours for their primary purpose: interning bodies. You don't want to interrupt a funeral with a cocktail party, after all.
Gift Shops
More historical sites have added a full-time moneymaker in the form of gift shops. Fortunately, knick-knacks don't cost as much as grave plots, but it couldn't hurt to comfort the bereaved with souvenir mugs and photo books.
Going Up
Ultimately, burial locations may redo their format entirely. Vertical cemeteries — think a high-rise apartment for the dead — have already caught on around the world. Aside from logistics, the funerary industry has a major problem defining its culture. But one group is having a lot of fun with the concept of death.
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