Two couples, total strangers, became instant friends Saturday morning in Tamaqua after a valuable, lost savings bond was found and returned to the rightful party.

Ted and Vanessa Naratil, Aquashicola, discovered the $100 U.S. savings bond two weeks ago inside the drawer of secondhand bedroom dresser purchased at Life's Second Hand Treasures Thrift Store, 217 South Center St., Tamaqua.The Series E bond was bought for $75 on Sept. 3, 1964. It has since accrued interest of $855.44, reflecting a current value of $930.44.The bond apparently was purchased by or for a "Mr. Roy L. Lorah, R. D. 2, Tamaqua," or a "Mrs. Sara Fay Lorah," his wife. Both names appear on the bond's face.A story about the find appeared in the Oct. 3 edition of the TIMES NEWS, prompting calls and emails from readers. The information from that feedback helped identify the bond's owners, leading to the transfer of the financial instrument to the appropriate party, which, in this case, happens to be the estate of someone recently deceased.Richard and Loretta Beltz of Quakake claimed the bond Saturday. The Beltzes were able to shed light on the unusual sequence of events.According to the Beltzes, the bond was owned by Roy Lorah and his wife. Lorah was a Korean War veteran from the Tamaqua area. Lorah and his wife, Sara Fay, eventually divorced. Sara Fay remarried and became Sara Fay Baum.In 1990, Lorah passed away at the age of 60. Some years later, Sara Fay's second husband also passed away. Twice-widowed, Sara Fay then lived by herself.On Jan. 1 of this year, Sara Fay died just one day after her 78th birthday.The resident of Fairview Street, Rush Township, had no children. Her brother, Richard Beltz, stepped in as executor to handle her affairs."I'm the only one left in the immediate family," Richard said, adding that the bond will be cashed, deposited at Sovereign Bank, and incorporated into the estate where it will help to pay expenses.As for Sara Fay, the Beltzes say she was a quiet, reserved person who always saved things, so much so that she left a large amount of work involved with emptying the house."We're planning on having a public auction," said Richard's wife Loretta. "We donated some furniture to Access Services to make room in the house."That furniture included the 1950s bedroom set. Nobody knew the bond was inside the dresser.Actually, the bond may have been hidden inside a dresser drawer for 49 years before finally being discovered by the Naratils as they prepared to refinish the piece. The oversized, Mid-Century Modern dresser is being repurposed as a bath vanity."There it was beneath an old piece of lining," Vanessa said, surprised to see the bond fall to the floor when she removed a dresser drawer.Husband Ted is a Computer Patrol technician with PenTeleData, one of the sister companies owned by Pencor Services Inc., which also includes the TIMES NEWS. Ted contacted Ed Hedes of the newspaper's sports department to request guidance on how best to handle the find. Hedes relayed the information to the editorial department and it took only one day for the TIMES NEWS story to generate results."I'm glad the bond is going to the right place," Vanessa said.On Saturday, the Naratils and the Beltzes met for the first time and became instant friends.The Beltzes treated the Naratils to breakfast at the Tamaqua Diner. Once seated, Loretta, a volunteer with Grier City Sunday School, started the meal by saying grace. She thanked the Lord for blessings of kindness and honesty shown by the Naratils, and for the return of the valuable bond.All four celebrated the fact that a good deed among strangers can create a bond of its own, the bond of friendship.