WWII Veteran Offers Reward For Cane With Life's Memories

OXNARD (CBSLA.com) — A 95-year-old World War II veteran is offering a reward for the return of a cane he's used for the last 40 years that holds special memories of his travels.

Whether it was the places he flew over, the places of his bombing missions or the places he simply visited with his family, Robert Wolff wanted to remember them all.

Decades ago, during a trip to Bali, he bought a $5 zebrawood cane. Over the years, he began picking up metal markers to symbolize his memories.

"I bought one then every time we'd come to another town or souvenir shop, I'd buy one," he said.

He gently attached the markers into his cane one-by-one until there were 31 in all.

His wife did the same thing on her walking stick. But last week, Wolff lost his prized and precious cane during a trip to the grocery store.

Wolff had just finished shopping at Ralph's in Oxnard. After unloading the groceries into his car, Wolff drove away. But he forget his cane and left it in the cart.

"I got home, reached over the cane. All of a sudden it hit me, and I broke a few laws getting back to the market ... the market basket was still there, the cane had vanished," he said.

Wolff kept checking back with Ralph's to see if anyone returned his cane. There's been nothing so far, so he is now offering a reward to get it back.

The cane has a dragon's head on it with bulging white eyes and Wolff's name and address are on the top.

"I'm gonna miss that thing and if I don't get it back, I'll survive, but it's not very nice," he said. "I feel empty without it ... If I lost my wedding ring, I'd probably feel just as bad."

So a reward and a grateful heart for the return of his cane cane covered with his life memories. Wolff says it's not worth much to anyone else, but to him, it's priceless.

"I hope that whoever has it will be nice enough to return it," he said. "It's something I would like to have and pass on to my children."

Anyone interested in turning in the cane and collecting the reward — no questions asked — can contact CBS2/KCAL9.