A Couple Found These Precious Items In The Ceiling While Renovating
Homes usually come with unknowns. Inside the walls, old pipes or mold might manifest unexpectedly. What this couple found was nothing like that. What began as a remodeling project turned into a scavenger hunt for the owner of mysterious items that were hidden in the kitchen ceiling. With the help of social media, the couple was able to piece together what had happened, and why someone would want to leave behind something they buried in the drywall.
Meet Mr. And Mrs. Kapsidis
Megan and Bobby Kapsidis are Arizona natives who bought a Florida home together in 2009. The couple remains in Sierra Vista, Arizona, while Bobby's mother lives in the Florida home. A few years after purchasing the home, they decided it was time to do some remodeling.
The couple flew across the country on vacation in order to fix up the kitchen. Bobby is a handyman and figured he could handle the job on his own.
Let The Demolition Begin
When Bobby first began the demolition, he started by beating at a small overhead space. The protrusion didn't seem to serve much a purpose and was an easy launching pad since it was out of the way of the kitchen's functioning spaces.
Once the out layer came down, the inside looked like you'd expect of drywall. Without any reason to stop, Bobby continued hacking at the thing until he made a little more headway.
Bobby Made Headway, Literally
Finally, a considerable piece came loose. The entire outer layer fell apart, and Bobby was beginning to be able to see inside the strange ceiling protrusion. Though it still wasn't obvious what, if anything, the space was intended for, the answer hit Bobby in the face.
It turns out the space wasn't useless after all. Things were stored up there, and one of those things fell down and hit Bobby's face. He and wife Megan rushed to observe the mystery item.
What Is This Thing?
The space above the ceiling, as is the case with most empty space behind walls, was full of pink, fluffy fiberglass insulation. Megan thought that perhaps the area used to be a crawl space that was used for storage. But if that was the case, it had since been packed with insulation and was no longer intended for storage.
Bobby cleared out the insulation material from what seemed to be a strange bag, while Megan continued recording what was happening.
It Was Definitely Vintage
An empty alligator purse from Cuba was discovered. The couple assumed it might be of value. The rare purse was certainly unusual by today's standards. Wearing animal skin has become less popular as animal rights activists have pushed to end animal cruelty.
The alligator purse would likely be looked down upon in modern America, even if it was a fake. The owner more than likely would have been older, presumably leaving it there decades ago.
Is This Thing Real?
The couple discovered that the purse was in fact made out of a real baby alligator. Its skin was spread across the bag, and its head, arms, and feet remain intact along the front and back.
The rare bag would likely be of value, especially considering how carefully crafted and well preserved it is. However, what they found next was priceless. Bobby continued wacking at the ceiling to see what else might be in there.
They Found Something Else In There
Megan told reporters that Bobby decided to tear the ceiling down at eight o'clock in the evening, and sure enough, everything came crashing down. Insulations and items fell like rain all over the kitchen. Amongst the mess was a treasure that melted Megan's heart.
First, a stained, dusty note fell out that seemed to be some sort of invitation. Next, a large book fell down. But it wasn't a usual book, it was a photo album.
Megan Takes To Social Media
As they began flipping through the album, they discovered it was a record of a 1963 wedding. The vintage momento seemed like too much of a treasure not to return.
Megan had already been posting to Facebook in regards to the demolition, and then to the mysterious items. Now, she sought to expose the findings in an effort to find the owner who left the items in the ceiling. She figured such intimate photographs must have been missed.
The Note Explained Everything
The note that had been found was, in fact, an invitation. The paper was addressed to wedding guests by Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Lau, on behalf of their daughter, Marguerite. It was a wedding invitation for a ceremony to be held at St. Thomas Apostle R.C. Church in New York.
Addressing the couple by the father's first and last name is one indication of how old-timey the writing is. Another is the fact that the parents of the bride did the inviting, rather than the couple getting married.
This Is The Church
Saint Thomas the Apostle RC Church is photographed from the outside and inside here. The beautiful couple were married at this alter, at 3 p.m. on September 14, 1963, according to the invitation.
Photographs of the couple and their wedding party filled the album. Megan and Bobby found themselves transported to this important moment in these strangers' lives. It seemed to be their duty to find out who these people were, and how to get their treasures back to them.
The Couple Saying Their Vows
At the altar of Saint Thomas the Apostle RC Church, Marguerite and Joseph said their vows. The couple committed to remaining together until death do they part, but as far as Bobby and Megan knew they could have split up by now.
They weren't sure if they were looking for a couple, or if the couple had deceased, if Marguerite still held the last name Garguilo, or if one of them were now a widower. All they knew is who this couple was more than sixty years ago.
Meet Mr. And Mrs. Gargiulo
More traditional wedding dresses were known for their expansive skirts, embellished in this classic pose where the bride and groom gather atop the bride's spread out dress. The couple is gathered close together, while Marguerite's hand rests atop Joseph's.
Megan told reporters that Bobby and her wedding photos were all digital. Since she knew that this couple had, at best, copies and, at worst, only these physical copies, she felt even more compelled to return them.
The Pampered Bride
A wedding day tradition that many couples still hold onto is taking photographs of the bride getting ready. The bride's big reveal is an important element of a wedding, and it's the job of the bridesmaids to ensure she looks perfect.
Here, Marguerite's friends look excited as they prepare her sleeves and vail. Though the album was so old that it'd turned yellow, the emotions captured in it still feel fresh.
The Women Pose For The Camera
It's amazing how meticulously the bridesmaids match. Their dresses, headpeices, and boquets all are precisly the same. Looking back at old photographs as these, we can see how trends have evolved with time. For example, it's unusual for bridesmaids to wear a veil at a wedding nowadays. But here, they're wearing shorter, off-colored versions of the bride's vail.
Though the photographs are black and white, the design of the gowns pop. Had the photographs been colored, the album would hold less of that vintage feel.
Family Members May Like To See This
While the bride and groom are the first to come to mind who might want the album back, the rest of the family also is without these cherished memories. The next morning, Bobby returned to the space and found another album.
This album was the same as the first, only smaller and it said "Our Children's Wedding" on the cover. Megan deduced that this must have been the parents' version of the wedding album, meaning that the family likely would be missing all of their documentation of the special day.
The Couple Had Some Character
For such a traditional Catholic family, this photo certainly has that edgy humor of the 1960s. While the other photos show a more modest married couple, in this photograph Marguerite holds a lip to her finger while holding up a "Do Not Disturb" sign.
Meanwhile, Joseph gives the "okay" sign with a big grin. Like most newlyweds, they probably couldn't wait to consummate the marriage. Especially for someone from Catholic descent, it can be a moment to look forward to.
Where Are They Today?
Megan posted photographs on her Facebook account of all that she and Bobby had found. It was important to include as many details as possible so that someone might identify something.
Crisp images of the bride and grooms' faces, clear posts of the invitations that read the address and date, and distant photos of the album itself all could be indicators to someone who had been there or at least heard about it. In the post-Megan encouraged people to spread the word.
Everyone Started Sleuthing
One of Megan's Facebook friends happened to be a genealogist. She suggested the mystery bride might be Marguerite Bojna, who had remarried in 1994. Mrs. Bojna's middle initial is an L. Noelle pointed out that the marriage index said that Marguerite Lillian Lau married Joseph Garguilo in 1963.
Cynthia posted a link to a Marguerite Garguilo's Facebook page, saying that this woman resembles the bride in the photographs. The next step would be for Bobby and Megan to reach out to the candidates.
We Found Her!
After going viral, Bobby and Megan appeared on the news. All of the publicity had people talking and wondering about the mystery wedding album. After a trip to Marguerite's home ended with no avail, Megan was more committed than ever to find this woman.
Sure enough, Megan was at last successful in finding the mysterious Marguerite. She posted to Facebook that she and Bobby went to visit with the elderly woman, and said she was, "the sweetest lady and both of us were very emotional reminiscing about her wedding day."
Marguerite Remains A Mystery
While we would love to say that Megan spilled all the beans about this photographed couple, and why the album was hidden for all this time, she instead chose to stay vague on behalf of Marguerite's wishes. She wrote that Marguerite, "wants to keep her memories personal and enjoy them with her family and friends for years to come."
Speculation has since circled about whether Marguerite and Joseph split, or if he passed first. However, the clashing information is unverified. If you really want an answer, you'll have to sleuth for it yourself.
