HICKORY, N.C. -- A Hickory father who lost his son's urn in flash flooding earlier this month is grateful that it's been recovered.

• Richard Hollar unexpectedly lost his son Joshua in 2003. He built a memorial for him, putting Joshua's ashes inside his Harley Davidson gas tank.
• A year after his son died, Hollar lost his 2-month-old granddaughter, putting her and his son's ashes together in the urn.
• However on June 8, more than a foot of rain fell in the area, and Hollar says Drowning Creek grew 12 feet, flooding his home and carrying off the urn.

Richard Hollar unexpectedly lost his son Joshua in 2003. He built a memorial for him, putting Joshua's ashes inside his Harley Davidson gas tank.

A year after his son died, Hollar lost his 2-month-old granddaughter, putting her and his son's ashes together in the urn.

However on June 8, more than a foot of rain fell in the area, and Hollar says Drowning Creek grew 12 feet, flooding his home and carrying off the urn.

“My daughter actually came to check, and see what the condition was out there, and they all started screaming. I heard them from up there, but they all lost it, because the tank was gone,” said Hollar.

The family posted a plea on Facebook asking for help, and just two days later, some Hickory residents found the urn hidden among piles of debris.

"God works miracles and that definitely was a miracle," said Hollar.

The people that found the urn didn't wish to be interviewed, but said they're happy to return it.