Homeless man who returned diamond ring finally reunited with family
Published: 2013 March 25 12:03:41 (4647 Views)
Billy Ray Harris, a homeless man who garnered national attention for returning a woman’s diamond and platinum ring, reunited with his sister, left, on Sunday after 16 years apart.
"I never would've thought this," Billy Ray Harris of Kansas City, Mo., said during a joyous reunion with his siblings on the "Today" show on Sunday. "This was a total shock."
Harris, 55, hadn't seen his relatives in nearly 16 years when he committed his life-changing good deed.
"I'd been worried sick about my family since the last time I saw them," Harris told TODAY.com. "I totally lost contact with them back in the 90's…I was kind of down in the dumps, and on the verge of giving up."
Harris was planning to finally see his family in person this summer, but the “Today” show decided to speed up the reunion.
That all changed, however, when Sarah Darling's ring fell in his cup on Feb. 8.
A jeweler offered him $4,000 for the rock. But instead of selling the treasured token, he held onto it and returned it to Darling and her husband the next day, sparking a hailstorm of media coverage.
Sarah Darling and her husband immediately set up a campaign to raise money for Harris as thanks for his good deed.
Donations hit $183K for homeless Good Samaritan who turned down $4K to sell ring to jeweler.
Darling and her husband Bill Krejci were also present for the emotional meeting.
Harris' sister, Robin Harris Williams, saw reports on Harris's selfless gesture and immediately recognized him as her brother.
She reached out to her estranged sibling and also notified her brother Edwin Harris and sisters Elsie "EJ" Johnson and Nellie E. Vaughn, all of whom took part in the Sunday reunion.
Thanks to the campaign, Harris, who was sleeping on the streets just weeks ago, now has a home - and a part time job.
"I got an air mattress now, it's like living like a king compared to where I was," he said.
- NYDailyNews
"I never would've thought this," Billy Ray Harris of Kansas City, Mo., said during a joyous reunion with his siblings on the "Today" show on Sunday. "This was a total shock."
Harris, 55, hadn't seen his relatives in nearly 16 years when he committed his life-changing good deed.
"I'd been worried sick about my family since the last time I saw them," Harris told TODAY.com. "I totally lost contact with them back in the 90's…I was kind of down in the dumps, and on the verge of giving up."
Harris was planning to finally see his family in person this summer, but the “Today” show decided to speed up the reunion.
That all changed, however, when Sarah Darling's ring fell in his cup on Feb. 8.
A jeweler offered him $4,000 for the rock. But instead of selling the treasured token, he held onto it and returned it to Darling and her husband the next day, sparking a hailstorm of media coverage.
Sarah Darling and her husband immediately set up a campaign to raise money for Harris as thanks for his good deed.
Donations hit $183K for homeless Good Samaritan who turned down $4K to sell ring to jeweler.
Darling and her husband Bill Krejci were also present for the emotional meeting.
Harris' sister, Robin Harris Williams, saw reports on Harris's selfless gesture and immediately recognized him as her brother.
She reached out to her estranged sibling and also notified her brother Edwin Harris and sisters Elsie "EJ" Johnson and Nellie E. Vaughn, all of whom took part in the Sunday reunion.
Thanks to the campaign, Harris, who was sleeping on the streets just weeks ago, now has a home - and a part time job.
"I got an air mattress now, it's like living like a king compared to where I was," he said.
- NYDailyNews
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