Taking on a Big Project
If you have ever renovated your home, you know how costly the process can be. When Megan and Bobby Kapsidis bought their home in 2009, they wanted to update it and redo many of the rooms. They decided to start with the kitchen because it is the most used room in the home.
However, instead of using a contractor, Megan and Bobby put their DIY skills to the test to complete the project themselves. Megan decided to document the process for her social media followers, and Bobby started demolitions. The two never thought their renovation story would become so popular until they found something hiding in the ceiling.
Documenting the Project
As it turns out, Megan’s chronicling of the project turned out to be quite useful, as it became a viral story. At the time, however, she nor Bobby had the slightest idea of what was to come. But something more than just wanting to show off her husband made her choose to post photos of her husband in his element, fixing up the kitchen.
She kept her friends posted about their DIY project. She captioned one of her photos with, “Some before and during pictures just to show that we haven’t burnt the palace down yet.”
It was the first time in 9 years since they bought the house for his mother that any renovation was even being done. So needless to say, it was something to mark down on the calendar.
It was the first time in 9 years since they bought the house for his mother that any renovation was even being done. So needless to say, it was something to mark down on the calendar.
Starting With the Ceiling
When they got the house, and when his mother moved in all of her belongings, the house was in pretty good shape. But now that the kitchen was going to be done, Megan had some plans for it. The main job was the ceiling, as it was starting to peel and looked like it was suffering some water damage. That meant that the ceiling had to be taken down.
At first, Megan and Bobby figured the ceiling would take a full day or two. And it looks like they were hopeful. I think naive might even be a more appropriate word. It was already the end of the first day tackling the ceiling, and Bobby was working well into the night.
Getting Sloppy
Midnight rolled around, and the handy husband was still working away. Megan had already gone to sleep by that point. Though the banging and prodding were disturbing her sleep, she was very much proud of her husband, who was determined to get the work done, even if it meant losing sleep. But lack of sleep takes a toll.
No sleep and tired eyes mean it’s easy to get a little sloppy. Bobby got a little carefree with his tools. He got his hands on a crowbar and started to rip away at the ceiling. He figured that he might as well tear it up, speed up the process, and worry about the mess later. And it was while was tearing the ceiling apart that something fell on him. And it wasn’t a piece of the ceiling itself.
A Strange Purse
Something had suddenly dropped down on Bobby’s face. And if anything, it woke him up from his sleepy state. Somehow, he managed not to fall either. When he looked down at the floor to see what the heck that was, he found himself staring at a brown leather purse. He got down from the ladder and picked it up to examine it.
The object looked like some sort of leather bag or purse. It would seem like an ordinary object; when he turned it around, he saw something strange. The purse had an alligator design carved onto it. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he decided to wake up Megan and see what she thought about it.
Curious and Somewhat Fearful
He rushed over to his sleeping wife to show her this peculiar purse that literally dropped down from above. Naturally, the two of them were curious and even felt that there was something creepy about it. They wondered and were even worried if finding the purse was some sort of bad omen or something that could lead to something worse.
As eerie as something may seem, the curiosity is what trumps everything else. They had to open the purse and see what was inside. They had to know what secret was purposely being hidden in the kitchen ceiling of his mother’s home that she was currently living in. Keep in mind that Bobby had no knowledge of the house’s previous owners. So the jury was out and who planted the purse there and why.
It Hit Him Right in the Face
“He had to cut through the material, it being an older house,” Megan later explained. “He pulled the soffit down, and all this insolation came falling down on top of him, and a really beautiful alligator purse from Cuba hit him right in the face.” And what they discovered next confused them greatly. They figured that the purse would have something inside.
But, to their shock, the bag had nothing in it; it was empty. The incident begged many questions: Why was a purse sitting in the kitchen ceiling? Who put it there, and why? If it was planted there, then why was it empty? It made no sense to Megan and Bobby. They figured something wasn’t right in this scenario.
A Portal to Another Era
Since the purse didn’t contain anything, they thought that the purse itself must be very valuable. Otherwise, why would it be stored in such secrecy? As mysterious as this bag was to them, Megan and Bobby placed the purse on the side and started drilling to see if the attic (which was above the kitchen) was hiding any other interesting stuff.
Their instincts served them well. They were right to check under the attic because they were about to find more where the purse came from. Digging into the ceiling was like going through a portal to the past – a time machine if you will. It was like a portal because what they found took them to a whole other era.
There Was More!
It was unbelievable. As Megan recalled, “My husband decided he wanted to tear it down at 8:00 in the evening, and when he did, that’s when everything started falling out of the ceiling.” So, what did they find next? After Bobby got to drilling, he began to dig the ceiling of the kitchen, and several other things began to fall out!
Everything that was starting to fall out of the ceiling, not to mention Bobby and Megan themselves, were covered in dust. The dust made it impossible for the couple to identify the objects at first, but the anticipation was killing them. Megan was excited, to say the least. And of course, she had to post it all online.
“Stuff Just Keeps Falling From Our Ceiling! ”
Megan wrote in her post: “Stuff just keeps falling from our ceiling!” As she was on the floor, standing and taking photos of the interesting night they were having, Bobby was telling her everything he saw. But suddenly, he got silent and was stunned by something that caught his eye. Megan didn’t understand what happened and why he was at an instant, completely quiet.
While tearing away at the rest of the ceiling, Bobby found a note which had evidently been buried inside the kitchen ceiling. Something like that can’t be an accident, by any means. So Bobby knew at that point that something was being hidden, and there was a real story to be told. Some chose to hide all this stuff. But why?
A Wedding Album
Someone had clearly hidden the note inside the ceiling on purpose. And just like all the other stuff they found, the folded up letter was also stained with cement, mud, and dust. The surprises were not over, as one more unexpected thing fell down on to Bobby’s head. “Now it’s someone’s wedding album,” Megan said in her post.
The two looked at each other in disbelief. They started to realize that they found the key into someone’s past, something that someone chose to keep hidden. What was it about this photo album that needed to be kept hidden away? Bobby climbed down the ladder, and the two of them sat on the floor to have a look at this mysterious album.
Looking Through the Thick Album
They opened the album right there on the floor with dust and debris all around them. It was a thick album with a whole bunch of photos in it. Bobby reminisced in an interview later: “I reached in the installation, and I pulled out this wedding book. It’s old, and kind of dusty and I said, ‘This is pretty incredible.’”
“Just seeing something nostalgic like that. I have no idea why they’d keep it up in the attic.” It was obvious that the album was full of wedding photos as its cover said it all. As they expected, the album was very old, and its pages had turned yellow long ago. The album had 50 pages and contained nothing but wedding photos.
White Wedding
And it was a traditional white wedding. In this type of wedding, the bride wears a white gown and veil but the groom is in his black tux. By the look of the photos and the style of the people in them, it was clear that this wedding took place in the 1960s. The pictures were vintage, and the bride and groom’s dress and style were something of the past.
But there were questions left to be answered. Why did this couple hide their wedding album? Why and from whom? It was obvious that the album was meant to be concealed from someone. “My first reaction was, ‘Wow, what a beautiful wedding,’” said Megan. “I sat looking through it and thought, we need to find these people.”
They Needed More Light
The two of them looked back at the ceiling and knew that they were going to keep looking to see if anything else was hidden there. But they needed more light. And considering how they were already into the wee hours of the night, they needed to get some sleep first. In the morning, they could continue when they had the help of daylight.
Megan explained how, “He found the big wedding album first, which would have been the bride and groom’s copy of the wedding album. The next day, when we had more light, he went back up in there, and he found what would have been the parents’ little small version of the same album.”
What Were They Missing?
When Bobby bought the home for his mom in 2009, he had no information on the people who owned the home previously. He was pretty sure that this album belonged to them, whoever they were. But, it was beyond the couple as to why someone would hide pictures of their most memorable day. There must be a link or information that Bobby and Megan were missing.
The person who hid it could have burnt it or threw it away, but instead of doing that, he/she decided to bury it safely inside the ceiling. And finally, they found a piece of information that led them to some surprising revelation.
The Married Couple
Remember that note that Bobby found that made him suddenly quiet? It was a piece of folded paper that was tucked inside the wedding album. It was less of a note than it was a copy of a wedding invitation. The invitation ended up revealing a lot about the newlyweds. As wedding invitations tend to include names, Bobby and Megan were able to see who the married couple was.
The groom was named Joseph Garguilo, and the bride was Marguerite. The date written on the invitation was September 14. The invitation also revealed that the wedding took place in New York (and not in Florida where this house and the album was found). So, it was clear that they relocated to Florida after the wedding.
Like Watching a Movie
After looking closely at the evidence laid before them, they were able to gather some more information. They even managed to discover that the wedding was celebrated at St. Thomas Apostle Roman Catholic Church. That church is located on 87th Street and 88th Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens, New York. The invitation also indicated where the reception was.
After the ceremony, the guests headed to the Senior Petty Officers Mess at New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn for the reception. There were photos in the album that also showed guests at the reception. Looking through the album made Megan and Bobby feel as though they were watching a movie. They might as well have zapped some popcorn and poured a glass of wine.
It Became an Obsession
Even though they had never met the mysterious couple, Megan felt like she knew them. These photos were like a window into the lives of a couple, a couple who married and later hid the evidence. Megan obviously wanted to know more about them. I mean, wouldn’t you? Her desire to know them was about to turn into an obsession.
Megan said, “I want to find the family. It’s easier today. We have the digital age where we can just call the photographer and have him send it over the internet. Back then, they didn’t have that, so this is all they have left of their memories.” And just like that, the search began. Megan was going to get to the bottom of this.
Taking It to Facebook
But the story of this couple was getting all the more confusing. If they were married, then why would they hide the album? And what happened to the couple? Are they still alive? If so, do they want the album? Megan had to know what went wrong. She started her efforts by logging into Facebook.
She updated her Facebook status and shared her and her husband’s recent discovery with the world. One of the good things about social media is that it offers a mass audience. And there is power in numbers. The more people are aware, the more information Megan can potentially get. Megan was hoping that someone would catch the post and have some useful information.
She Had a Reason
Why was Megan really doing all this? Her reason was this: “My husband has digital copies of our wedding album. If one computer crashes, it’s on another one. If we leave them somewhere, we can just get them somewhere else. They didn’t have that in 1963, so the photos that you have in the book are the only photos that they have of that day, of their memories that day, and to me, that’s really important to have.”
“If I had lost my wedding album, I would hope that somebody would find it and return it to me. So, there’s no other option for me.” When Megan posted the story on Facebook, she didn’t anticipate that the post would reach so far.
The Post Went Viral
Megan’s post went viral as people were seeing it and naturally became intrigued. But like all viral posts, hers received both positive and negative responses, as well as twists and turns. It didn’t take long for the post to go viral, reaching many people. Some of them were even able to give Megan tiny pieces of information.
As it turned out, Megan and Bobby weren’t the only ones curious about the couple and their wedding album. Other people started to get involved, wanting to more about the story and get updates on any progress being made. The couple even got some screen time as they had appeared on both Fox and ABC News segments. But, Megan was far from finding the notorious couple.
Becoming a Debate
Megan and Bobby received praise for their determination. People all over the world were talking about it online. It even became something of a debate. People debated everything from the bride’s gown to the exact year it took place. Megan wasn’t so comfortable with all this. She just wanted to get the album back to its rightful owners.
Megan was obsessed with the album, even enchanted by it. She said, “I’ve looked through the pictures hundreds of times, and they’re just so pretty. I feel like I want to know the rest of the story. I would love to return it to the family. I’d like to sit down and give them back their memories.” But was she going to find them online?
Banking on a Lead
Megan posted updates on Facebook, including one about a lead that she got. And she displayed her hopefulness in the post, too. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to find her, if not, her family,” she wrote. “I have a lead that she’s two towns north of where we are now. I’d like to return it and maybe hear a little bit about her wedding day if she’s willing to talk about it.”
According to a few sources, Marguerite was indeed alive and was living in Florida. After getting such an exciting lead, you can imagine how happy Megan was. Megan eagerly made a visit to Marguerite’s home, but she returned downtrodden as the woman apparently moved away. And unfortunately, no one knew where to.
It Was Going to Be Difficult
Despite living in a digital age where almost anything and everything is documented and available online, Megan still knew that it was going to be really hard to find the album’s true owners. After getting a failed lead, she was looking for more answers but wasn’t able to get any more leads at that point. Megan was too stubborn to let go of it, though.
She was still hopeful that someday someone would come forward and offer her some insights. She believed that she would find something to solve this mystery for good. When there is a will, there is a way, right? Well, Megan found the way. She soon learned something about the couple that unfolded the story further.
Remaining Hopeful
One evening, things took an interesting turn when Megan was surfing the internet. Someone finally provided her with a crucial piece of information about Marguerite’s current whereabouts. The information she got revealed the city where Marguerite was living in. Megan didn’t want to be jaded, so she stayed positive that this lead was the real deal.
As you can expect, the news made Megan happy and excited. She had what she was looking for. She was sure that the woman was alive, and she was going to find where she lives and hopefully gets the album back to her. The journey was going to require going some distance, but it wasn’t going to stop her at this point. She headed in the direction of Marguerite’s reported location.
She Found Marguerite
Obviously, Megan posted moments through her journey, sharing with her friends online what happened when she finally got there. It was on June 8th, 2017, when Megan explained to her Facebook followers that she finally met the infamous Marguerite. Not only did she meet her, but she finally got to hand over the album and the purse.
Megan didn’t mention anything about Joseph, the groom. She posted: “I would like to ask for privacy for Marguerite and her family now. She wants to keep her memories personal and enjoy them with her family.” One can only assume that Joseph has passed away. But this major update left the people wanting more. Everyone wanted to know about the old couple and what happened.
Getting Some Answers
She may have given her back her belongings, but the question still remained unanswered: Why did they hide the purse and the wedding album inside the ceiling of their kitchen? And yes, there is a story. We were finally able to get some answers. The newlyweds who looked so happy in their wedding photos actually faced a tragedy.
Their marriage came to a sudden end when Joseph Garguilo died 9 years after the wedding (the reason for his death is unknown). But this wasn’t the end of Marguerite’s story. Megan learned another interesting detail about her life. She found out from Marguerite herself that after years of mourning the loss of her husband, she finally moved on and got remarried to another man.
Mixed Feelings
Well, it is understandable that Marguerite eventually moved on and remarried, Megan couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about it. She put two and two together and figured that this was the reason why she hid the album in the ceiling. Perhaps she didn’t want anyone, let alone her new husband, to know about the wedding album from her previous marriage.
Or perhaps she was too traumatized by her husband’s death that she wanted to get the album out of sight and thus out of mind. Maybe she just couldn’t bear the sight of it for the memories it gave her were too much to bear. And since she didn’t dare to throw it away, she kept it hidden.
A New Life
Marguerite lost Joseph, but she didn’t want to lose his memories, too. So she did what she believed she had to do. Megan remembered the moment she met her and gave her the album. At that time, Marguerite was confused as she didn’t know if she should keep it or not. The old woman had a different life now with children and grandchildren.
While Megan felt guilty for bringing back such negative memories to the old woman, Marguerite saw it in a different light. She was amazed at Megan’s determination to make sure she got the album to her. Bobby and Megan met her and her family, and the story was finally put to rest.
It Started With an Ugly Couch
These three roommates are also best friends. They bought a couch for their apartment and discovered something completely unexpected. So much so that they screamed when they found what was inside the ugly couch. Reese Werkhoven, Cally Guasti, and Lara Russo were the three roommates who became famous for their discovery and gesture of selflessness, generosity, and kindness.
The three New York college students moved in together and, like many college roommates that find themselves in a new apartment, were missing a couch. The roomies were looking for a couch to complete their living room. So they went to a thrift store and looked for a couch that would fit in their living room. They eventually found one and bought it for only 20$.
Getting the Couch Home
Little did they know that they were in for a massive surprise. The roommates were excited that they finally bought a couch, and for only 20 bucks! The friends wanted to take it home right away to their apartment in New Paltz. But something drew their attention to a certain part of the couch, and they had to change it.
And so one night, after watching a movie on their new, but not-so-new couch, the three roomies said that some parts of the couch didn’t feel as comfy as the rest of it due to some crinkles in the pillows. So they did something that not anyone would have done. They started ripping the built-in side pillows off the couch.
Taking It Apart
A regular night on the couch, watching a movie, suddenly turned into an unforgettable night. Usually, taking apart an old couch is uneventful. You rip a piece here, rip piece there. And in the end, you either have a better-looking piece of furniture, or you find yourself going to the store and looking for something to replace it because you went too far.
But this case of ‘couch-ripping’ was eventful, to say the least. After the roommates tore up the parts of the couch, they found a goldmine! There were almost an inch and a half of 100 dollar bills that were stacked into the pillows. Whoever placed the money there chose to put the bills in envelopes covered them in bubble wrap.
Counting the Money
So imagine this: you take apart a couch and find stacks of bills! What would you do next? The roommates did what you probably would do as well…That’s right, they counted the money. It’s only natural to want to know how much money they had in their hands. Literally! That night, the shocked friends started counting the money.
They were curious also to know how much more was stored in the couch. “When we were in the bedroom, our neighbors thought we won the lottery or something cause we were just screaming,” Guasti claimed. “We were just really freaked out by it,” Werkhoven said. How much money do you think they found? It was much more than they ever expected.
An Insane Amount
They were counting the money and screaming, a surely amusing scene. After about 20 minutes of counting the bills from the envelopes, the roommates realized in awe that they had been sitting on a $41,000 goldmine! And to think they only spent $20 for the thing! At first, college students started to daydream.
What would they do with the money? Oh, the places they could go. The things they could buy! They even got responsible and took into consideration student loans and traveling around the world as well as helping out their parents. They spoke about what they intended to do with the money. “I would have bought my mom a new car. What she drives is a piece of junk, and I really wanted to surprise her with a brand-new car.” Werkhoven said.
Daydreaming
But all of the daydreamings had to eventually come to an end because they came across another discovery hidden among the envelopes. One of the envelopes had something written on it. Something that would change their minds about what to do with the money. What did the envelope say? The one envelope that had something written on it was a turn of events.
On the envelope was written the name of a woman. Now they knew that this money likely belonged to the woman whose name is written on it. They had to make a decision. Now, the roommates were faced with a dilemma. Should they keep the money for themselves, or should they try to trace down the owner?
Their Decision
“We had a lot of moral discussions about money. We all agreed that we had to bring the money back to whoever it belonged to… it’s their money — we didn’t earn it.” Russo said. The three didn’t feel comfortable spending someone else’s life savings on personal things. “The entitlement very quickly went away with finding that notice with her name on it. Because we didn’t earn that money,” Guasti said.
The roommates, along with their parents, started to look for the real owner. Did they find the mysterious owner? They had their fingers crossed. The next day, the three friends found the number of the woman whose name was written on the envelope. And they did next is truly heartwarming…
Meeting the Woman
Werkhoven quickly called the woman and gave her the news. She said: “I’m like, ‘I found something that I think is yours,’ and she’s like, ‘What?!’” And I’m like, ‘I found a couch,’ and then she’s like, ‘oh my God, I left a lot of money in that couch.’” Werkhoven claimed. They ended the phone conversation after deciding to set up a meeting.
The three roommates wanted to return the money to the woman who never even thought she would see that money again, especially not the entire sum! When the three students returned the money to the woman, they found out that they were literally sitting on top of the life savings of an elderly woman. They felt good knowing, giving back the money. And the woman’s words were emotional…
Her Words
“When we handed the money back to the woman, she told us that she felt like her husband was present in the room with us,” Guasti claimed. The woman didn’t know where else she should put her life savings, so the best place she could think of was the couch. She used to sleep on that couch for 30 years, so she knew it was a safe spot to hide something so valuable.
Unfortunately, the old woman needed to get back surgery done. And that meant that she had to spend a few months in a rehabilitation center. And her daughter did something that she believed would help her mother. But in reality, it cost her thousands of dollars.
Lucky
When the woman came back from the rehabilitation center, her daughter had bought her a new bed so that she won’t have problems sleeping on an old couch. She had no idea that her mother was storing wads of cash inside! The three roommates undoubtedly felt lucky to find so much money.
But the elderly woman surely felt even luckier when she got that fateful phone call from some college student. If you found $41,000, would you decide to return the money to the owner? In the end, the selfless students did the right thing. They knew what they had to do, and the woman is certainly thankful for it.
How’s that for a good Samaritan/success story? It sure warmed my heart, that’s for sure.
How’s that for a good Samaritan/success story? It sure warmed my heart, that’s for sure.