Out of the depths of grief and sorrow that followed the death of Tallmadge Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. last summer in Iraq has blossomed an ongoing tribute to him that is helping disabled veterans.

One recent morning, the Marine's mother, Edie Deyarmin, was joking with a group of veterans from the Brecksville Veterans Affairs hospital who were hitting golf balls at the North Olmsted Golf Club.

"I was guilty most of my life because I didn't get involved," she said.

Before her son died, she said, she didn't truly understand the sacrifices made by American veterans. Now that she does, "I can't shut it off and walk away."

The October fundraiser, known as the Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. Memorial Poker Run and Car, Truck & Bike Show, began and ended at Summit Racing Equipment in Tallmadge.

It drew 1,500 motorcycles and 250 cars and raised more than $17,000.

It was fitting that the event related to driving -- the 22-year-old Deyarmin loved to work on cars in the garage with his father.

Needs for disabled veterans were identified with help from Ralph Burton, a recreational therapist at the Louis Stokes Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Brecksville.

Over the months, money was spent on winter coats, sweat suits, athletic equipment, art and gardening supplies, a power-lift wheelchair and other items.

When Edie Deyarmin learned that Marine Corps League volunteers regularly took coffee to the Brecksville hospital, she supplied them with $500 worth of coffee.

She hopes to give the same assistance to veterans at the Wade Park facility in Cleveland and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Deyarmin, who along with her husband, Dan, owns rental properties, also works as a Tallmadge school bus driver.

She said she hopes to convert the organization into a tax-exempt nonprofit.

At the golf session last month, Vietnam veteran Michael Malek, 56, of Parma, who suffered a stroke two years ago and is a patient at the Brecksville hospital, waited his turn to swing a golf club.

"God love her for doing that," he said of the family's effort to raise money for veterans.

The idea came from Ray Kozlowski of Brimfield Township, who approached the Deyarmin family with the plan.

The 44-year-old vice president of the Kozlowski Co. attended Tallmadge High School with Edie Deyarmin, then known as Edie Hughes, in 1980.

"Nate was a super kid," he said. "I respected him before he was a Marine."

Kozlowski said Nate "loved cars and motorcycles, and I referred to him as 'a horsepower enthusiast.' "

The Deyarmins gave Kozlowski the go-ahead, and he organized the event within weeks of the funeral.

"I thought we should do something, not just for Nate, but for all veterans," he said.

Angie Pronio, 43, of Tallmadge, the owner of the White House Chicken restaurants in Tallmadge and Ellet, helped plan the fundraisers and provided an estimated 2,000 chicken dinners to those who took part.

She said her assistance "is my way of serving my country by giving back for what they are giving us."

The VA's Burton, 45, of Seven Hills, said the Deyarmins and their sponsors "put a positive into (a tragedy) and they really helped our guys."

Edie Deyarmin said she hopes to bring in even more money at this year's event, scheduled for Aug. 6.

"I have to do something," she said.

Chief among more than 100 sponsors are Summit Racing Equipment, White House Chicken, Liberty Harley-Davidson, Star Printing Co., Ritchies Sporting Goods and the Kozlowski Co.

For more information, go to www.dndfund.org or call 330-633-5296.