Wallet caper ends happily, but locksmith urges caution

Honesty and righteousness are a couple of principles upon which most would agree our forefathers built America's foundation.

Yet in every major city and small town, we see examples of behavior that point elsewhere. Vandals, thieves and other wrongdoers hit the headlines every day in newspapers across the country. The Flathead is no exception.

Ed Klimowicz was dispirited to see his wife's wallet stolen while they were stopped for gas this past week in Kalispell.

In his line of work, Klimowicz is used to hearing sad tales from victims of robbery and theft. A locksmith for 45 years and owner of Gemko Lock & Key in Kalispell since 1993, he's changed locks on hundreds of people's homes and made new keys for their cars after they were stolen.

"Time was, in the valley, that it was a very decent place to live," he said in one of two recent letters to The Inter Lake. "It was friendly. You talked to the person in front of you or behind you in the grocery line. If you lost your wallet or something, the person finding it would return it to you."

Yet when his wife dropped her wallet in a parking lot, someone evidently snatched it up and took off with it within a matter of minutes, complete with her driver's license, Medicare card, Medicare supplement, AARP card and $20.

"This valley and this country suffers horribly from theft," said Klimowicz, who also laments the days "when preachers weren't so nice and would warn you to change your ways if you didn't obey the commandments."

However, in an unusual turn of events, he wrote back later the same day to apprise us of the latest development in the case of the purloined wallet.

His wife's wallet "mysteriously" showed up that afternoon at one of the grocery stores near their house. No one took credit for returning it or divulged how it got there.

"That's OK, it's back and not one thing was missing," he writes. "All is forgiven. See? Life can be good when people do what they should."

But even though the story has a happy ending, Klimowicz tells a cautionary tale for the rest of us.

"Most people aren't as fortunate as we were," he says. " It's a horrible feeling to have had your keys stolen or someone break in your house."

He also warns against leaving your keys in your coat or jacket pocket or on the bar at an establishment. It's common for people to leave those things behind, and when the jacket is taken, so are the keys.

"While I'm glad that I can fix the problem, it's better to avoid having one in the first place," Klimowicz says. "So please be careful where you put your keys and secure your house. Unfortunately, things are not like they were 10 or 15 years ago in Kalispell."

The board of directors at Friendship House would like to thank all the loyal supporters for their generous donations to their annual Christmas Luminary Fund. They regret if some of those who donated were not thanked; it was an oversight and, as always, those donations were deeply appreciated.

If you were among those who did not receive an acknowledgment, board members request that you contact them.