By Wayne Smith

On Dec. 10, 2023, the Merchant family of Sullivan’s lives were changed forever when they lost their son, Cole, in a car accident in Steuben. Two months later, Cole’s mother, Holly Merchant, decided it was the right time to tell her story. Speaking with her on the phone last week, she never sugarcoated the emotions that she is dealing with from the loss of her younger son. At times, I could feel the emotions running through the phone line as we talked.