A butterfly-shaped urn and a battered Bible: The sad scavenger hunt after Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, Fla. — They're strangers in many if not all cases, bonded by grief and grit on a sad scavenger hunt of sorts.

Ever since Hurricane Ian raged across Southwest Florida, they've scoured neighborhoods and social media hoping to find beloved belongings scattered by the surging water and heavy winds — or to unearth and return someone else's sentimental treasures, so many of which were left buried beneath debris or floating in receding floodwater.

Lost: A memorial bench, dedicated to "The Fort Myers Beach Director of Sunsets." A butterfly-shaped urn containing the ashes of a beloved wife, whose husband of 50-plus years saw his home destroyed. A stained-glass owl made by a now-deceased man for his mother, and much missed by the man's daughter. A 6-foot blue wooden seahorse.

Found: Kayaks, boats and jet skis. A framed picture of a smiling young woman with shiny hair and a lovely smile. Photo albums. A Scotty dog figurine. An uprooted but undamaged mailbox. An inscribed gold wedding ring. Lockets holding tiny faces and priceless memories.

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So much to sift through, emotionally and physically. Overwhelming, the very idea that someone can literally lose everything they own in a terrifying flash.

But thanks to the doggedness of people united by the storm's savagery, lost and found treasures are being returned to hurricane survivors across southwest Florida. Strangers and hard-hit community members alike, they've teamed via social media pages dedicated to making these "reunions" happen.

And there's a story attached to each and every item.

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Fort Myers Beach mystery

Take, for example, the photo of that smiling young woman, which showed up mysteriously and miraculously in the Fort Myers Beach bedroom of Julizza Gil Suarez.

An. Oct. 9 post from Suarez on the "I Love Fort Myers Beach" Facebook page read: "While accessing my home today on the South end of Estero Boulevard, I found the totally unscathed picture frame/photo of this beautiful young lady on the floor of what was once my bedroom! How it got there with no damages is a mystery to me. Does anyone recognize her? I'm sure her and her family would love to know this personal item was saved!"

"HEY THAT'S ME!!!," Ellie Gressman — a zookeeper in California — replied in part. "That's incredible. Thank you all for the kindness. Julizza Gil Suarez thank you for sharing and finding us! That's amazing. We hope your family and home have been safe in this time! Thank you all, stay safe everyone!"

But there was an even more poignant backstory to this find.

The photo, from Gressman's senior year of high school, came from the home of Ellie's grandfather, Harold Gressman, a 103-year-old who lived on Sea Horse Lane on Fort Myers Beach. He was evacuated from his home by family as the storm surged.

The way family figures it, the photo made its way out of Gressman's home, around a two-story home, across a canal, over a swimming pool and inside the flooded house of a stranger before landing safely — face-up — in Suarez's bedroom.

Sadly, the centenarian died shortly after flying post-storm to Atlanta with his daughter.

But his beloved granddaughter's photo is back in family hands: Libby Bolinger, Gressman's mother, retrieved the photo recently, meeting Suarez at her home.

She and Suarez shared a hug and exchanged blessings, said Bolinger, a snowbird from Ohio who has a home on Fort Myers Beach with her husband, Chris.

"That's what I really love about this community. When a disaster strikes, it brings out the best in most people and they look for little ways to help," she said in a phone interview.

"And that was her way to help...their home was pretty much gutted on the inside because it flooded so badly."

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Finds across the coast

As people sift through finds and report losses, the questions are poignant: Who owned this? Will I ever see my wedding ring again? Who is that older man and that happy child in this black-and-white photo dated June 6, 1943?

There are whimsical finds, too.

Sarah Hoffman found a decorative, hot pink log which, according to the info on it, was "lovingly made" in the tiny fishing town of Matlacha. Signed by someone named Debra, it has a peace sign on one side.

Hoffman's parents have a condo on Fort Myers Beach but were in Minnesota during the storm. She and her dad drove down to the complex in early October, finding the buildings largely intact.

"I was picking up fallen landscaping around the seawall and I spotted this floating by in the bay," Hoffman said. "I was able to wedge it behind a ladder on the sea wall at the next complex over, and held it there until I could flag down a fisherman who helped me get it out of the water. I could tell it was hand-painted and knew it probably meant something to someone."

She posted photos on Facebook, at Hurricane Ian's Lost Treasures. It's still waiting to be claimed.

Hurricane Sandy survivor

Locals aren't the only ones involved in this puzzle-by-puzzle pursuit.

Shannon Pryor has never set foot in the Fort Myers area.

But having lived through Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey resident saw the heartbreak of loss of life, loss of a home. Loss of the items that seem like minutiae in the big picture but fill corners of mental scrapbooks.

So just as she did after Sandy in 2012, Pryor started a Facebook page where people could post what they've lost to Ian, and what has made its way into their hands. 

Hurricane Ian's Lost Treasures has more than 1,600 followers now. Reunions of owners and possessions are charted, and photos are sorted into albums.

On that Sandy page, more than 500 people were reunited with possessions. Pryor's hopeful for this effort, too.

The finds so far are a hodgepodge of everything from a battered Bible to part of a tiki bar (that's been claimed) and a personalized, autographed photo of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Gates McFadden, found during a yard cleanup about a half-mile from Cape Coral Hospital.

"It was personally signed, so the owner can confirm the name," said Mary Catherine Luz, who found and posted the picture.

"We are huge 'Star Trek' fans, so we felt the need to locate the owner," Luz said. "That photo could be a nice memory of a good day."

Sharing the stories of mementos being reunited "brings a sense of positivity to people in such a tough time," said Pryor, the mom of two young children.

"I have already had a few great people want to help and join the team out in Florida. It's amazing."

Working side by side with cleanup groups, volunteers, community officials and local people and businesses, Pryor said, she wants to "spread the word."

"For some, these treasures are the only thing they have left," she said.

And the success stories — when a priceless possession is returned, like that butterfly urn containing a loved one's ashes — are sweet.

Ian's legacy of unity

The story of the traveling photo of the smiling woman resonated with those who post on the "I Love Fort Myers Beach" page.

"Amazing story from start to finish," wrote Jill Evans Aalderink. "Praying for you, Julizza Gil Suarez, as you rebuild and for this family that you gave hope to after losing their beloved grandfather. God is using each of you in this."

For Bollinger, if any good comes from the devastation so many are suffering, it's a sense of unity through shared grief. 

"Someone explained to me recently that instead of it being the straw that breaks the camel's back, those little glimmers of hope or kindness or teeny-tiny joys add up in an opposite way," Bollinger said.

"They give people enough hope to see possibility, and the strength to carry on. It's asking a neighbor something as simple as, 'Do you need anything?'," she said.

"It's calling your friends and telling them you love them and you're thankful they're OK...it's getting a picture back to its owner."

Follow Britt Kennerly on Twitter: @bybrittkennerly