OCEAN CITY, N.J. -- A New Jersey man's wedding anniversary was made even more meaningful after his missing ring was found in Ocean City by a woman and her son.

CBS Philadelphia reports Mickey Walsh was vacationing near the beach with his family on Aug. 13, 2016, when a wave knocked the symbolism of his marriage right off his finger.

"I was playing in the waves and I noticed it was off my hand," Walsh said. "I always take it off when I go into the ocean. For whatever reason, I didn't do it that time. I pretty much thought it was a lost cause."

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It took a year for the ocean's current to carry the ring north. Last Thursday, 11-year-old Daniel Barr spotted the ring on the beach. The discovery spawned an all-out search for the owner.

"He even walked up and down asking if anyone lost a ring," said Kristen Barr, who helped her son in the search.

The pair wrote a Facebook post that reads in part: "My son found this men's wedding band today 8/17/17. Between 7th & 8th Street beach in OCNJ. No inscription inside or outside. Please help us find the owner. Every share helps. Thank you!"

Days after the post made the rounds on Facebook, Walsh's wife spotted the post and immediately contacted her husband.

"I was at work and my wife texted me (saying), 'Hey I think someone found your ring,'" Walsh recounted.

Walsh said he didn't believe that it was possible for the ring to be his.

Barr says she took the ring to a jeweler in Ocean City where they examined its size, material and worth.

"We gave her all the info that we could remember about the ring," said Walsh.

And sure enough, it was a match.

"His wife actually saw the Facebook post from a friend's post," Barr said. "(She) saw it and immediately contacted me through Facebook. She sent me photos and sure enough, they were a match. She even knew the correct ring size and all."

On Monday night, Barr and her son met Walsh to return the ring.

"Right away, they just seemed like great people, willing to go through all that trouble," said Walsh.

"I'm extremely proud of my son for going above and beyond to find the owner," Barr said. "It felt really nice to be able to return something that has so much sentimental value to the owner."

She says her son is also proud of himself.

The discovery of the ring couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

Walsh celebrated his 9-year wedding anniversary on Tuesday.