Samantha Thompson looks to make Laramie, Wyoming, her home.
That’s the intention her best friend, life partner, and the father of her son had before he lost his life in a work incident.
Ricardo “Rico” Padilla died on Oct. 22 after a mishap on the job at Mountain Cement in Laramie. He was 47.
His death came just two months after the couple were rocked by the premature birth and death of their daughter.
“Even though we both were from the south, we both agreed that this was going to be where our story stopped,” Thompson said. “We talked about buying land here and he always talked about how we hadn’t begun to scratch the surface with all there was to explore.
"He was an outdoors guy.”
Thompson said she had known Padilla for more than 20 years after meeting him while she was a DJ in Florida.
Although friends, the two did not become a couple until four years ago.
She calls him “my best friend and the love of my life.”
Found A Home
Padilla was born in Pensacola, Florida, and raised by his sister before moving at age 12 to be with his mother in Alabama, Thompson said.
Padilla’s father was a millwright, and he followed his dad into that trade.
Together, they traveled the country to different plants and jobs, she said.
The couple had their son while in Selma, Alabama, in June 2025, and shortly after that Padilla traveled to Laramie to start a new job.
He was a steelworker on the Project K3 modernization effort at Mountain Cement for an industrial construction firm.
As the project concluded, Padilla decided he wanted to stay in Wyoming and had plans to join the cement firm, Thompson said.
“He was going to transition over into the maintenance mechanic supervisor for Mountain Cement in a permanent position,” she said. “He took a lot of pride in his job. … He loved the company he was with.
"I don’t want it to be painted as if he or his company didn’t do everything they could to avoid these types of things.”
Heart Damage
She understands that Padilla died as a result of an incident that involved having “blunt force damage to his heart and lungs."
Padilla was taken to the hospital by the company and died 20 minutes later, she said.
His death came after the couple just lost a premature baby girl two months earlier, she said. The baby arrived into the world at just 27 weeks.
Thompson and the baby were sent to a Fort Collins hospital, where their daughter lived two days.
They named her “Laramie” in honor of the city that felt like home.
Albany County Coroner Sally King confirmed that she’s investigating Padilla’s workplace death at a cement plant, but said she could not provide more information.
“It’s an open investigation,” she said.
A message left with Mountain Cement was not returned by deadline.
Erin Turbitt, spokesperson for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, said the accident was being investigated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and, because it is an active investigation, the agency had “no further comment.”
‘When It’s Your Time …'
Thompson said Padilla had just celebrated his birthday. He loved music, working on race cars, exploring the outdoors, bass fishing, and his family.
A funeral service for Padilla at her Laramie church on Tuesday drew a large crowd of mourners.
The support she has experienced from the church, the company, and community has been “really great.”
“It’s been a huge help having family here and I also have a psychologist who I’ve been working with who has been extremely helpful,” she said. “The community wasted no time stepping up to provide their services and make us feel at home.
"I honestly couldn’t have asked for more support.”
A GoFundMe launched to help Thompson and her son has already exceeded its original goal.
Thompson said she had a job before the birth of Laramie, and with her pregnancy had to cut back on hours due to health issues.
She has been a stay-at-home mom since the loss of her daughter but once worked as an engraver.
Thompson intends to see if she can find work using those skills.
Whatever her future, Thompson said she intends to remain in Wyoming, which has become home.
Thompson said she looks forward to the reports that follow the investigation into Padilla’s death and does not want his death to be “in vain.”
“You’re not promised tomorrow,” she said. “You can do everything right, and still, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
