Former city mayor offers reward for lost ring
Charles Baldelli got ring as gift from brother, who died shortly thereafter
WOONSOCKET — When former Mayor Charles C. Baldelli received the ring as a gift from his brother Dan in 1982, he had no idea his only sibling would die two years later, at the age of 49.
The diamond-studded, lion’s head ring suddenly became more than a gift – it was a lasting reminder of his brother, prodding warm memories as he slipped it on his pinkie at the beginning of every day.
Now Baldelli is offering a reward for the return of the memento, because it’s lost.
“For me, it’s priceless,” said Baldelli. “If anybody finds it I want them to know there will be a significant reward.”
Baldelli, 85, isn’t sure when he lost the ring, or where, but he says there’s a good chance it happened at the Stadium Theatre on the night of Dec. 4. That would have been an auspicious occasion for Baldelli for another reason – he was there to deliver the opening remarks during the inauguration of his niece, Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, for her third term in the job her uncle held from 1985-1989.
Baldelli says he and his wife retraced all their steps – twice – in places where the
ring might have slipped off his finger, including the Stadium, Walmart, Kohl’s and other locales. And he’s fairly certain it did slip off – his pinkie might have shrunk a little after he lost a couple of pounds. He’d been thinking of getting the ring resized just before it vanished.
Dan Baldelli – Baldelli-Hunt’s father – bought Charles the ring in New York as a tribute to his birth month, which makes him a Leo on the zodiac chart. Baldelli says his brother died in 1984 from complications related to a kidney transplant. Baldelli’s official biography in the Rhode Island Hall of Fame lists one of the achievements of his tenure at City Hall as the establishment of a local dialysis center.
Should anyone locate the ring, Baldelli says the finder should call the mayor’s office at City Hall, and his niece will take care of the rest. The number of 767-9205.