How a family's precious heirlooms were returned by a Sask. woman 9 years after they were lost in a move
How a family's precious heirlooms were returned by a Sask. woman 9 years after they were lost in a move
Emily Robertson never thought she'd see her wedding photos again.
Following her mechanical engineer husband to many locations throughout North America, Robertson was used to the odd box or two going missing. It happened a few times before.
In 2013, when the couple relocated from Calgary to Denver, Colo., Robertson soon noticed a box with her wedding photos and a collection of original paintings from her husband's late uncle were missing.
"Those paintings, you can never get back. Uncle Jack was gone. We'd never met him. Aunt Nancy had been so kind and gracious to share those with us when we got married. And we loved them," Robertson said.
The painting of a sunflower was of particular importance to Robertson and her husband. Having lived in Kansas when it was given to them, the state flower always reminded them of their past. The painting of a mountain reminded them of their time in and around the Rockies.
Robertson called the moving company she hired, and they couldn't offer any help. After a while she conceded she'd likely never see the paintings again.
"It was probably in some thrift store, maybe in some random house," she said. "Someone else enjoying it, but that's all we could have hoped for."
Around the same time, Luz Swanson and her husband were moving from Magnolia, Texas back to Saskatchewan.
Swanson was puzzled how an extra box was mixed up with her belongings. She opened it to find a young couple posing on their wedding day, in addition to a series of original paintings.
"They should go back to the family," Swanson said, remembering her reaction to seeing such personal belongings.
That was the beginning of a nine-year journey to get the paintings back where they belonged. Swanson refused to throw them out.
At first, Swanson tried a few Google searches, but wasn't able to learn much.
The boxes then languished in the basement for years with Swanson not paying them much attention.
When she and her husband were cleaning out and decluttering the basement this past fall, Swanson took one final shot at finding the mystery owners. This time she found a small envelope tucked behind one of the paintings, which proved to be crucial.
Inside the envelope was a biography on the artist, Jack Fox. It mentioned he was offered a job at the Walt Disney Company as a cartoon artist after the Second World War.
It also mentioned he was a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon. Swanson sent the group a message on Facebook and was quickly put in touch with Aunt Nancy, Fox's widow who gave the Robertson's the paintings as a gift.
When Swanson told Nancy she had her husband's paintings was the first time she learned they were missing.
"That's when all the magic happened," Swanson said.
Luz Swanson had the missing box in her basement the past nine years and was finally able to return the belongings to the Robertsons in time for Christmas. (Chad Hills/CTV News)
Nancy quickly called Carol Robertson, Emily's mother in-law.
"Nancy contacts me and says, 'Hey, you know, I have some interesting news from Canada,'" Carol said.
Over the course of the next month, Carol and Swanson exchanged text messages and phone calls to coordinate how to return the items to the Robertsons, who are now living in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
In one of many decisions that now seem like fate, Swanson opted to ship the paintings on the ground instead of shipping them via air, narrowly avoiding the holiday travel delays thousands of people in Canada experienced.
"It's just crazy to think about the things that had to take place in order for those paintings to get back to us," Carol said.
Arriving the night before Carol and her husband were scheduled to leave from Missouri to Kentucky for the Robertson family Christmas, Carol was able to surprise Jeff and Emily with invaluable possessions that were gone for nearly a decade.
"I just don't get it — like I have no clue on how in the world they have it," Robertson said of opening the gift.
"It's just so kind because I think a lot of people nowadays wouldn't have put that effort in."
Carol was amazed at how kind and generous the Swansons were. They paid to ship the box and refused to be reimbursed, instead asking Carol to share a video of them opening the gift as a form of payment.
It may have taken nine years, but Swanson said the paintings were destined to find Emily and Jeff.
"I think (Fox) was looking from up there hoping the paintings will go back to the family, and that's what happened," she said.
Nearly a month after the miracle took place, Carol, Emily and Swanson are all amazed at how the story unfolded. Carol and Emily are still taken back by Swanson's kindness and persistence to make it happen.
"We can help each other and think more about others," Swanson said. "We can make this world a better place to be. It's called a random act of kindness."
After three different families spread across two countries and four American states got together to line up dozens of little details for a Christmas miracle, not only will everyone have a story to last a lifetime, they may have made a few friends in the process.
"I hope that these paintings are something that we pass down in our family for generations," Robertson said.
"We just might put them on our Christmas card list," Carol said. "They went above and beyond."
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
W5 profiles the man who makes the sounds for breaking bones and squealing tires in Hollywood’s biggest films; and he does it from a small town in Ontario. Watch 'Sound Farms' at 7 p.m. on CTV W5.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
The sale has started of former Saskatchewan government liquor store buildings. The province got out of liquor retailing earlier this month and is disposing of all assets.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta announced Saturday that Rajan Sawhney will run as a UCP candidate for Calgary North-West after announcing in February that she wouldn't be running for re-election in Calgary North-East.
A Brampton, Ont. man is under arrest after what is being described as a “troubling series of events” that saw female paramedics in Peel Region allegedly sexually assaulted and harassed.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
Officials in Vancouver said they plan to meet with the artist and volunteers who are keeping vigil on a children's shoe memorial on the steps of the city's art gallery in an effort to end the tribute to children who didn't return from residential schools.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
April Fools' Day -- better known as poisson d'Avril in Quebec -- is upon us. Some of the province's familiar faces got into the spirit Saturday with a few light-hearted social media pranks.
A Vancouver Island woman managed to capture something on video last Sunday that experts say is extremely rare. Maxine Gillette calls it a once in a lifetime experience.
A Vancouver Island musician and former church pastor will serve three months of house arrest, followed by 18 months of probation, after he was convicted of one count of sexual assault.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
London police responded to Dundas Street, just west of William Street around 6:30 p.m. Friday evening for a reported shooting. According to police, one person is in custody.
Luz Swanson had the missing box in her basement the past nine years and was finally able to return the belongings to the Robertsons in time for Christmas. (Chad Hills/CTV News) 
