“You really did know everyone’s name back then,” he said.

Although Smits recognized the people in the pictures, they still didn’t know whose wallet it was.

A folded-up yellowed sheet of notebook paper held the clue that they were searching for. On it was a Bible class lesson with the name Joyce D. at the top.

“My cousin Joyce Dyksta was in my class and I was pretty sure it must’ve been hers,” Smits said. “My wife Donna left her a message.”

Joyce (Dyksta) Stratman lives in Michigan now and said she was shocked when she received a text asking “Did you own at one time a small, red wallet?”

“I almost fell over. I couldn’t believe it had actually been found,” Stratman said.

Stratman recalled vividly how her wallet had been lost nearly six decades ago.

“I was a freshman and was in the locker room after gym class. I placed my wallet on the bench while I changed into street clothes. A friend of mine played a trick on me and took my wallet and placed it on top of a divider wall in the locker room,” Stratman said. “She was a little embarrassed and we were both surprised when she went to retrieve it (and) it was gone.”