PUEBLO — For many people, there are places, scents, and people that remind us of who we love most. For Nicole Rider, Pinelle’s Bowlero Lanes on Midtown Circle is the place she feels most connected to her dad, Mel Emerson.
She was just 11 years old when he died from kidney cancer.
“I was so little, I didn't know how to feel, you know, you're 11, you're not equipped with how to deal with your dad being dead, “Rider said.
On a Wednesday morning, bowling leagues were hitting strikes and spares as Rider recalled the days of her childhood spent at the bowling alley with her dad.
“I think I may have spent more time with this bowling alley than I did my own childhood home, because we were always here bowling,” Rider said.
Emerson was a talented bowler, winning tournaments and at one point even worked at the bowling alley. Several family members are still in leagues and have also worked at the bowling alley.
The bowling alley is where she's gone to honor her dad’s memory over the years, it’s even where she met her husband.
“My little brother was bowling in a tournament and I said, hey, you want to come sit with me? And that was the first time we met. And if that's not my dad intervening,” Rider said.
Her dad died February 2011, but days ago she experienced a new form of grief, this time paired with anger and betrayal.
“My trust in anyone is very diminished now,” Rider said.
Four families, including Rider’s were notified this week that their loved ones’ remains were among the 24 bodies investigators discovered hidden inside Davis Mortuary. The Mortuary is co-owed by Former Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter and his brother.
“We had trusted Brian and Chris Cotter with my father's body and when they came to take this body, Brian looked my mom in the eyes and said, thank you for trusting me with one last thing, and to say that trust has been betrayed, is a major understatement,” Rider said.
You trust somebody with the most delicate thing in your life, your father's body, and then come to find out, he's been laying in a room for 14 years just decaying? And he gave us fake ashes? Like, what part of that is okay in his mind" -Nicole Rider
Rider learned her dad was among the bodies found through her Mom. She said her Mom got a call a Sunday and by Monday she had an appointment with the Pueblo County Sheriff. Rider said her mom called her and said she was coming over and that’s when she knew.
“It’s like reliving the worst part of my childhood,” Rider said, “it's like I am grieving the loss of my dad all over It's like. It's like he died again.
Rider learned about the initial discovery of remains while she was out of town, she said she was reading an article and not even thinking her dad could be among the bodies inside.
“My older brother sent me the screenshot, he texted it to me of the article and said didn’t they cremate dad? And that’s when it clicked in my head and I immediately called my mom,” Rider said.
Her love for her dad surpasses her grief, Rider’s face lit up immediately when she recalled the moments that made her dad so special to her as a young girl. She wears a necklace with a photo of her dad holding her the day she was born, and has a tattoo on her arm reading “love ya dad” in his handwriting.
“He was the best dad anybody could ask for,” Rider said, “he was a funny guy, he was always making someone laugh and he never met a stranger.”
Rider said her family is planning another memorial service for her dad, she says she’s also been reaching out to lawmakers and making her voice heard.
“I want to make sure that charges are pressed to the fullest extent of law,” Rider said, “I don't care who I have to call, I don't care who I have to email. I will be heard, and I want, I want justice. Nothing's ever going to take this pain away, but I want justice for my dad. He didn't deserve that.”
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