North Canton City Schools said Chas Pyle, a custodian at North Canton Middle School, was reattaching the trim at the end of a row of lockers when he found the purse in the gap between the lockers and the wall.
The school spent months attempting to identify the owner of the purse, which turned out to have been lost in 1957 by then-student Patti Rumfola, who officials said died in 2013.
The district was able to contact Rumfola’s children.
“Patti’s five children were together for a family gathering in the fall where they opened the purse to have a glimpse into their mother’s life as a teenager at Hoover High School,” the school said in a Facebook post.
The post featured photos of the purse’s contents, which included a comb, some makeup, a library card, and membership cards from the YMCA and American Junior Red Cross.
The long-lost bag also contained several black and white photos of friends, family members and a dog.
The only money in the purse was 26 cents.
Rumfola graduated high school in 1960 and went on to have a long career as a teacher.
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