Saint John man reunited with missing wallet half a century later
Found on a tugboat, the wallet preserves a period of history in George Marr’s life
George Marr doesn't remember losing his wallet in 1969 — but then again, most people wouldn't remember something like that 51 years later.
The 78-year-old Saint Johner was nothing short of surprised then, when his daughter dropped it off at his house Saturday afternoon.
"I don't even know where I lost it or how I lost it," he said.
The wallet was found on a tugboat in the Saint John Harbour — the Atlantic Beech — by crewmembers onboard. Chief engineer Kelsie MacLean put a call out on Facebook on Saturday morning, asking if anyone knew the man whose name was all over the documents inside.
"Does anyone know a George Marr?" reads the post. "He would have worked at the Saint John shipyard in 1969. We found his wallet that's been sitting in the air ducting on the Atlantic Beech (Irving Beech) for 51 years."
"It was in the duct work above the bathrooms," explained MacLean in an interview. She said the crew were working on renovations when they found it.
"We couldn't believe it had survived that long. It kind of shocked us."
Victoria Muir, Marr's daughter, connected with MacLean, and soon enough was dropping off the wallet on his doorstep, after carefully sterilizing it.
"If it was in the duct work, it must've been when I was working at the shipyard, because I used to go into the ventilation sometimes, or be underneath the boiler," said Marr.
Inside the wallet was a treasure trove of memories. Registration for his Chevy convertible he owned in the '60s, his longshoreman's ID card, union membership cards from '65 and '66, a membership to the Marco Polo Club in Saint John, where he was "a member in good standing."
And most treasured of all, a photo of his son Christopher, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1977, when he was just 16 years old.
"As soon as I saw that photo, I knew it was mine," said Marr.
Marr remembers bits and pieces from the 1960s. He worked at the Saint John shipyard and made $1.50 an hour. His co-workers had a softball team that he remembers fondly. The first worker who showed him the ropes was a man named Fred Gordon.
Marr said he didn't get a proper education. He never finished Grade 7, a fact he isn't proud of. But the hands-on learning he got working at the dry dock was enough to get him through life comfortably.
"I learned how to read blueprints out there. I learned a lot of stuff out there and I never regret it. And it was a good place to work."
Marr isn't sure if he'll do something special with the mementos, but he doesn't plan on getting rid of them.
"I'm going to keep them as a keepsake. It brings back some stuff."