COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Derrick Johnson wants to find a permanent home in Colorado Springs for a wind phone to honor his mother, Ellen Lopes, one of the identified victims of the Return to Nature Funeral Home case.
A wind phone is an unconnected telephone booth — with no wiring or dial tone — where people speak to deceased loved ones, with the belief that their voices are carried to them on the wind.
"When she passed, I noticed that I really did want to keep speaking with her, and I would pick up my phone on accident," Johnson said. "Then I heard about this amazing thing called a wind phone."
Johnson said the drive behind his mission traces back to his mother.
"The motivation, the initiative, all of that came from how special my mom made me feel," Johnson said. "And so now I feel like I'm getting a chance to honor her."
He said he is still working through the grieving process, but draws strength from his mother's memory.
"I often refer to myself as a tree, and if I'm a tree, my mom is the roots," said Johnson.
But he isn't doing this project alone. Johnson is a part of a group called Colorado Remembers. Their mission is to provide support for victims of Colorado's death care industry. With their help, he is making his goal into a reality.
After posting about the project on Facebook, Johnson said the response surprised him.
"The response was nothing less than magical," Johnson said. "An amazing number of people liked it, and even more amazing, we had a lot of suggestions come in for places where this phone could actually go."
He tells News5 there have been six promising locations and when he comes to Colorado next, he and other members of Colorado Remembers will be scouting out three or four of those locations.
Johnson's vision extends beyond a single wind phone. Once he builds his wind telephone booth, he tells me plans to memorialize all 192 victims of the Penrose tragedy — one phone for each identified victim, plus one for all unknown victims.
"We're not sure if we're going to name any of the other phones, but we had this kind of, let's just throw it out there, a very large goal that maybe we could get up 192 of these," Johnson said, "Which would count for every victim as well as one for all of the unknown victims. The goal of this is to just create a space for not just victims of Return to Nature, but anyone that's lost someone they love to reconnect with them."
He also tells News5 this project wouldn't be limited to just victims of Return to Nature Funeral Home, it would be widespread, and for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one.
He said he wants to put one wind phone in every state. The first one will be for his mother, Ellen Lopes, and the rest? For every victim of Return to Nature Funeral Home and other victims of Colorado's death care industry.
"We can put them all across the state and I'm even looking at putting them in the state that I'm in as well. We have people looking at putting them in the state they're in," said Johnson.
"Our drive is strong for it, and I think we're going to continue building these to bring some sense of belonging again and controlling their grief a little more to anyone that's ever lost a loved one," said Johnson.
Some future plans are still up in the air, but Johnson says he and other families impacted by Colorado's death care industry are ready to take on the challenge and begin celebrating the lives of victims, ensuring they will never be forgotten.
Johnson is still on the lookout for a final resting place and tells me he is grateful for all of the support. He said he has the materials and wants to begin this journey. Even if it is just the beginning.
"So this is newer in the terms of us planning this out, and then the massive movement that we've had within the past week or two has just been because of the Facebook post and how everybody has finally recognized that. And that's another thing that our group of victims has I would say really taken a bit of contentment in or really found a bit of happiness is how involved the community suddenly has jumped into this," Johnson said, "It went from us not being able to get any help to seeming like everyone is there for us now, and that's a feeling that you can't put into words when you're finally supported, acknowledged, and people are helping you to move forward with things such as your grief. I feel a renewed sense of spirit."
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