The mother of a 23-year-old La Cañada High School graduate who died in October is searching for a missing ring that she said served as a symbol of strength for her son.
On the morning of Oct. 27, Ryder Buck was walking across the 2 Freeway in Glendale when he was struck by two cars. He died a few hours after the crash.
While many items were returned to the family, including a watch and other jewelry his was wearing at the time of the accident, one important item was missing.
Buck won a CIF championship ring in 2007 while on the high school’s water polo team. The ring is outfitted with white gold and is set with a light blue stone.
His mother, Shelley Buck, said the ring became an object that helped him after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer last year.
“He drew strength from it during his year of chemotherapy,” she said. “It has more than just the meaning of a trophy. It was something that sustained him through the hardest time of his life.”
She said her son chose the style of the ring and the color of the blue stone.
“It reminded him of the ocean and that was his favorite place to be,” she said. “It’s not like there should be any others in existence.”
Shelley Buck said she and other family members searched several places looking for the ring, including the area where the accident occurred, the hospital, and trash bins.
Ryder Buck was driving a family member’s car on the freeway when two of the tires on the vehicle became flat, she said. He then apparently tried to cross the freeway. His car was found parked on Mountain Avenue.
The family donated the vehicle to the La Cañada Educational Foundation. Prior to the accident, she said, Ryder Buck’s car broke down, which was also donated toward funding cancer research.
California Highway Patrol Sgt. Ed Jacobs said the department did not find a ring at the scene or know where it could be.
The CHP investigation into the incident is still active but it should conclude soon, he said.
Shelley Buck said she is offering an award to the person who returns the ring to her. Anyone with information about the ring may email her at: buckeroos5@gmail.com.
