Veteran carried photo of wife for 65 years before it was stolen: 'It means so much to me, it's in my heart'

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash.  --  A local veteran is desperate for help after police say his wallet was stolen from a pharmacy counter.  It's not the wallet he wants back, but one very special item that was inside.

John Zoril carried a precious photo of his wife for 65 years and then, just like that, it was gone.

“I can’t replace it and it just means so much to me. It’s in my heart. I see that picture all the time now,” says John.



Mary gave John a photo of herself when they first started going steady 65 years ago and it's remained in John's wallet ever since. The picture helped get him through some tough times, including the Korean and Vietnam wars.

But on January 25, detectives say a man stole John's wallet containing that picture, when John left his billfold on the counter at Walgreen's at the intersection of Cirque Drive West and Bridgeport Way West in University Place.

As soon as John realized he'd left his wallet, he rushed back to the store. The clerk, who checked the security cameras, saw a man take the wallet and put it in his pocket immediately after John left.

“He had a choice. He could have picked the wallet up and given it to her and said, ‘Here, somebody left a wallet’, but no. He took the wallet”, says John.

If a picture really is worth a thousand words, John would give a million thanks to have it returned.

"She was beautiful then and she's even more beautiful right now. Whenever one of us passes away, or if she passes, I hope I have it and I will carry it for the rest of my life. If I ever get it back.”

If you have any information on the suspect, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips.