Colorado woman reunites family with lost memorial pendant

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- Three years ago when a loving mother died, her children and grandchildren had her fingerprint etched into a silver pendant. So when a Colorado woman found that silver charm in the dirt in Glenwood Springs, she felt a calling to return it to its family. 

Cortney Branscome, a local registered nurse, dusted off the charm enough to snap a photo, then took to the worldwide network that connects more than a billion users -- Facebook.

She said she went into a Facebook frenzy, but came up short on everything but support from those who wanted to see the pendant, which is inscribed with the words, "A touch of mom forever," find its home. 

Eventually, Cortney said she reached out to Olinger Funeral Home in Castle Rock and found help from Todd Putnam there. 

Putnam said he was able to successfully trace the fingerprint back to a woman from California who died nearly three years to the day before Cortney located the pendant. 

Conveniently, the charm's current owner, who is one of the woman's daughters, now lives in Colorado along with her widowed father. 

Cortney said the owners of the pendant are planning a reunion with the Branscome family to thank them for their efforts at the funeral home in the coming days.