Though it might seem silly, Kyle Barron is ecstatic that a simple glass paperweight will soon rest on his desk.
The paperweight, which belonged to his father until his death a year and a half ago, was among the contents of two packages that were stolen from his front porch last week — boxes Barron thought he’d never see again. A post office delivery driver was supposed to get a signature before dropping off the boxes, but left them on the porch even though no one was home. The boxes disappeared in the 40 minutes between delivery and his wife’s arrival.
The thieves probably thought the boxes were filled with Christmas gifts — but in reality the boxes held family heirlooms Barron shipped from Oregon, where his mother died last month.
“My dad collected paperweights. My brother took some and I took this one,” he said, a bright smile on his face as he examined it for damage. “I chose this one because it’s in so many photos of him sitting at his desk. He wanted me to have it.”
The object, seemingly worth almost nothing, holds deep sentimental value for Barron, 32. He said it serves as an inspiration because his father, who was quadriplegic, worked past his physical challenges and opened his own tax company. The paperweight is reminder that he can do anything.
The boxes containing the family heirlooms were stolen on Dec. 14. After reading a story in Thursday’s Beacon Journal that told of Barron’s desperation to recover the stolen items, one of Barron’s Kingsley Avenue neighbors decided to investigate a suspicion that dawned on him earlier in the week.
Sleuthing skills
John Shepherd, who’s lived next door to Barron and his wife, Ally, since they moved to Akron in 2012, said he noticed footprints in the snow in front of a vacant house across the street. The footprints led up a hill toward the side of the house, obscured by a tree’s low-hanging branches.
On Thursday morning, Shepherd followed the footprints and found the two boxes sitting in the snow. On Thursday afternoon, patches of grass showed through the snow where Shepherd found the boxes.
“I just thought it was a possibility they were here,” Shepherd said. “Being a vacant house, I like to keep on it, not because I’m interested, but because I like to be a good neighbor. I saw those tracks and I just had to see if it’s what I thought it could be.”
Barron expressed his deepest gratitude for the find.
“I just can’t put it into words,” he said. “It was making me lose sleep.”
Aside from the paperweight, the boxes held old family photographs dating back generations, antique tea pots and vases, love letters his parents exchanged, books possibly a century old and a portion of his father’s ashes.
“The ashes are really important to me,” said Barron, who owned a portion himself but also took his mother’s portion. “Knowing someone doesn’t have them or that they’re not in a landfill somewhere is the best thing I can ask for,” he said.
The boxes had likely been sitting in the snow for days. Many of the items were frozen solid and some of them were damaged. It appeared the thief rifled through the boxes before realizing they weren’t Christmas gifts. Luckily, the most important heirlooms were perfectly preserved.
Barron said he forgives the thieves, but worries it might happen to someone else. So far this holiday season, about 20 people across the city have reported stolen packages, according to Akron police.
“I harbor no ill will toward anybody involved. I’m just glad to have my family’s stuff back,” Barron said. “Still, some people might not be so lucky.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .