After a tornado wreaked havoc in Lamar County, Texas, a man felt sad that he lost his partner’s engagement ring before he could slide it on her finger, unaware that he would soon recover the ring from under the debris.
Dakota Hudson, a Lamar County, Texas resident, was in his house when an EF-4 tornado turned houses into rubble on November 4, 2022. He had planned to propose to his girlfriend, Lauren Patterson, but the natural disaster ruined everything.
Hearing wood creak and break into pieces around them was a terrifying experience. The couple held on to each other, praying the tornado wouldn’t take their lives. Soon, the winds calmed down, but the couple had lost everything, including a precious engagement ring.
The Engagement Ring
When Hudson bought an engagement ring for Patterson before the tornado, he hid it in their home and waited for the right time to get on his knees. However, the ring was the least of his concerns when the tornado ripped their neighborhood.
“Looking at this destruction, it’s hard to fathom how anyone could survive it,” Hudson confessed. All he could see were piles of debris when he went to see how his neighbors were doing. Luckily, everyone around him was safe, but most people had lost their belongings.
Sudden Realization
After learning everyone in the neighborhood was fine, Hudson calmed down and felt grateful the tornado didn’t claim the lives of people around him. Just then, he realized that the gold ring he bought for Patterson was now somewhere under the pile of debris.
Hudson, who thought it was next to impossible to find the engagement ring, was shocked after learning the girls’ team found it.
Since he had lost all hopes of recovering the ring, he told Patterson that he had planned to propose to her for marriage. Instead of feeling sad, the woman assured him everything was fine and told him not to worry.
They Offered to Help
After losing everything that unfateful night, Hudson and Patterson began living in a hotel until they could figure out how to rebuild their home. Four days after the tornado hit Lamar County, a group of volunteers showed up at the couple’s destroyed residence.
The Paris Junior College softball team asked Hudson and Patterson if they needed help cleaning the debris. The couple accepted the volunteers’ help and told them about the missing engagement ring. Upon hearing this, a team member, Kate Rainey, confessed:
“I basically made my mind up. I was going to find the ring.”
The Search Operation
Hours later, Rainey noticed a tiny circular object after digging in one spot. When she dug deeper, she couldn’t contain her excitement upon learning it was the engagement ring Hudson had been looking for. Rainey recalled:
“The whole team started screaming.”
Hudson, who thought it was next to impossible to find the engagement ring, was shocked after learning the girls’ team found it. He instantly knew what to do next once he held the ring in his hand.
He Couldn’t Waste More Time
After losing the ring once, the man knew he couldn’t waste any more time. Covered in dust and debris, Hudson got down on his knee and asked his girlfriend:
“Will you marry me?”
Without thinking twice, Patterson said yes, and the couple kissed while the volunteers cheered for them. One of the girls also recorded a video of the unique proposal that surfaced on the team’s Twitter account.
Dakota Hudson proposing to Lauren Patterson. | Source: facebook.com/Inside Edition
An Unforgettable Moment
Hudson had never imagined proposing to his girlfriend standing on top of the ruins of their house, but Patterson said she “couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.” Hudson added:
“All the glory goes to God.”
Patterson said the proposal was “the light in a very dark moment,” but she was still concerned about the people who lost their belongings because of the tornado.
Dakota Hudson and Lauren Patterson. | Source: facebook.com/Inside Edition
Everyone Was Happy
Meanwhile, the softball team congratulated the newly-engaged couple on Twitter. One of the members agreed that what they witnessed that afternoon was “remarkable.” Another tweet from the team’s Twitter account read:
“Found the possible in impossible! [sic]”
Hudson believed “God had his hand” over his neighbors because the tornado didn’t leave anyone dead. He felt the intensity of the natural disaster was enough to claim lives, but it only destroyed homes.
Click here to read another story about a man who proposed to his girlfriend of five years with a $20,000 ring, but she didn’t like it and asked him to buy her another.