Colorado Bowling Alley Owner Dies in Freak Accident

The popular owner of a local bowling alley in Florence, Colorado, was killed in a freak accident involving the pin-setting machine on Sept. 30.

Ector Rodriguez, 65, of Penrose, Colorado, was an accomplished bowler and successful businessman—if success is measured by how much his customers liked him.

His eight-lane bowling alley, Fremont Lanes, at 108 W. Main St. charged only $1 per game—and Rodriguez would keep the lanes open as long as anybody wanted to bowl.

One of his customers, Susan Wilson, posted on her Facebook page about a time when she and a friend arrived at the alley just as Ector Rodriguez was locking up—he was literally standing at the door with the key in the lock.

When he saw Wilson and her friend, he reopened the alley so that the pair could bowl a few frames.

Rodriguez not only opened the alley and turned on the lights—he opened the kitchen and the bar, serving up some beverages and some home-made onion rings.

He must have known that the cost of turning on the lights would be more than the money he made from the bowlers—but locals say that he loved bowling and loved anyone else who did. And they of course loved him back.

When the Cañon City Record posted the story of his passing on its Facebook page, more than 400 friends and fellow bowlers reacted, shared, and posted condolences and remembrances of the man.

Susan Miller posted on Facebook, “He was a pillar in this small town, and his loss will be felt for a long time.”

Tragic Accident

Florence police and emergency personnel were called to the Fremont Lanes at about 1:20 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, the Gazette reported.

When they arrived they found Ector Rodriguez wedged in the pin-setting machinery, unconscious and not breathing.

Local TV station KOAA reported that Rodriguez was trying to clear a jammed pin when the machine descended, impaling him.

Rodriguez went back to fix one of the pin-setter, but took to too long, so one of his employees walked back to check.

“She walked back there, found him impaled in the machine, called 911,” Florence Police Chief, Mike Delaurentis told KOAA.

The bowling alley was locked the next day, with a sign inside the glass saying “closed until further notice.” There was also a sign outside the glass reading, “You will be missed.”

Other friends left a stuffed animal, some flowers, and card to the Rodriguez family outside the bowling alley door.

KOAA reported that the bouquet bore a note reading, “A hero of our community!”

“If you don’t want to hang out in a bar, and you want a date night, you want a place to go, this place is the place, said a local resident who gave her name as “Makara.”

“My heart hurts deeply for the fact that he’s not here anymore,” she told KOAA. “This is going to be a loss to downtown and being a small town, that kind of loss is a big loss.”

“He should have died a 99-year-old man with his family surrounding him, you know?” Susan Miller posted.

From NTD.tv

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