North Adams Native Killed in Afghanistan

Above, Laurie Douglas holds up a family picture of Michael DeMarsico and his little sister's teddy bear. Right, DeMarsico in Afghanistan.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Michael DeMarsico always wanted to be a soldier, and was prepared to be on the front line.

On Thursday, Aug. 16, the 20-year-old Drury High School graduate was in the lead when he was reportedly killed in a roadside bombing in Panjwa'l, Afghanistan.

His parents, Michael and Lisa Babcock DeMarsico of Bracewell Avenue, were informed of his death at about 1 a.m. on Friday by Army officials with the aid of local police.

"Michael was tragically killed in Afghanistan doing what he loved," said his aunt, Laurie Douglas, in an emotional press conference on Friday afternoon. "That's all we know right now."

Mayor Richard Alcombright called it a "devastating day" and ordered the city's flags lowered to half staff.

"We're all heartbroken for the DeMarsico family," he said. "Michael did truly die a hero serving his country in Afghanistan."

The city had not lost a resident to war since Peter W. Foote III was killed in action in 1968 in Vietnam.

DeMarsico was on his first overseas tour. The private, first class, joined the infantry after high school and was residing in Auburn, Wash., when he was deployed to Afghanistan in February. He was attached to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

His extended family had been eagerly awaiting his return in December, when he would have turned 21 years old.

Douglas, and Kristina Babcock of East Greenbush, N.Y., aunts on his mother's side, and his uncle Glen DeMarsico asked that the family be left to grieve in peace. They held hands in solidarity as they spoke of their beloved nephew in the mayor's conference room at City Hall. 

They described a strong, quiet, athletic young man with an interest in technology and engineering who was "an amazing brother" to his four siblings. The middle of five children, DeMarsico had planned out his future at an early age with his fascination with toy soldiers.

"Since Michael was a little boy, he's wanted to be in the Army," said Douglas. His parents had supported him, and kept in frequent touch through calls and Facebook post. Now his Facebook wall has become a memorial, with an outpouring memories and condolences from friends and classmates, family and comrades in arms.

On June 21, DeMarsico posted: "the american soldier does not fight because he hates who is in front of him, he fights because he loves who is behind him. R.I.P CM."

DeMarsico has spoken to his father by phone just two days before, said Douglas. "Michael told his parents he'd just accepted a position on the front line, going ahead of his troops to protect them, to find any bombs."

Glen DeMarsico, Laurie Douglas, and Kristina Babcock of East Greenbush, N.Y., Michael DeMarsico's aunts and uncle, spoke on behalf of the family.

DeMarsico is the second of the county's casualties from the war in Afghanistan, and the third in the War on Terror.

Army Sgt. First Class Daniel H. Petithory, a 1987 graduate of Hoosac Valley High School, was killed Dec. 5, 2001, in an American bombing only weeks after the United States invaded the country in response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11. A section of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail through the Green Beret's hometown of Cheshire was dedicated in his honor.

Army Sgt. Glenn R. Allison, 24, of Pittsfield, died Dec. 18, 2003, from a physical ailment while serving during the Iraq War with the 10th Mountain Division.

A tearful Douglas said she was angry that U.S. troops were still in Afghanistan but not that her nephew was fulfilling his duty there in defense of his country.

"I am so proud of him and every man and woman that's over there," she said, but added with tears, "no parent, aunt, sister, cousin, brother, should ever go through this ... We have to bring them home, all of them."

The private was one of nearly 2,000 U.S. fatalities in the 11-year-old war, the nation's longest. The same day he was killed, seven other servicemen lost their lives in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. The current plan is to draw down the U.S. presence in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Until DeMarsico comes home, the military star flag in his parents' window will remain illuminated and the city's flags at half staff.

"He was a young hero, a young hero gone too soon," said Babcock.

"A hero that was deployed to Afghanistan, and now deployed to Heaven," continued Douglas. "He'll just be standing at a different gate."

Correction: 11 Bravo is a designation for a military occupation specialty in the infantry. It was erroneously reported as a unit number. Updated with unit and place of death.

New Eagle Street Shop Has the Perfect Toppers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:14AM / Saturday, August 01, 2026

Tip Top Hats sells Patricia Welch's handmade designs and more commercial products at lower prices. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has a millinery for the first time in more than 40 years. 

Patricia Welch, who has more than 60 years of hatmaking experience, recently opened Tip Top Hats at 16 Eagle St.

Welch said she has always been fascinated by hats and has seen many fashion trends. She's particularly interested in the mod movement.

"It's just something that I have a facility for and have been doing for so long, it's kind of second nature," she said. "It's over 60 years since I’ve been making hats, not all the time, but on and off for a long, long time. So I had a lot of life experience to draw from. I've seen many, many fashions come and go. Being a child of the '60s, I was heavily influenced by the mod movement, fashion movement, and it has stuck with me all these years."

Welch previously owned a shop in Gloucester before moving to New York in the late 1990s. Her work has been featured in juried shows and she's done design consulting.

While she worked in engineering and exhibiting designs, she always made her hats. It all started when she was 13 years old and had to solve a problem.

"I used to go riding on motorcycles with no hat on, no helmet, and your hair would get terribly knotted up," Welch said. "So the first time I made a hat, it was kind of a little bonnet of cotton that just tied under my chin, and it was just to keep my hair from getting tied in knots by the wind."

She came across the "for rent" sign on storefront in May and made a decision she would like to occupy it. She opened on July 1 during First Friday.  She said it was a great way for her to get out of retirement.

"Kind of impulsive, but you know I'm not young, and tired of being retired, basically," Welch said. "So this is a wonderful, fun experience, and I think it'll bring more to Eagle Street."

Millinery shops were a mainstay of women's and men's fashion well into the 1960s. At one time, North Adams had three or four independent millinery shops plus departments in some of its stores, like Roberts Co. and the Boston Store.

They began closing down in the 1960s because of owners' retirements or deaths, dislocation because of urban renewal, and changing fashions. The last ones were the Style Shoppe and Hollywood Millinery (then Hollywood Fashions) in the early 1980s. 

Welch has hats made from straw, fake fur, wool, leather, and more. Her designs can take hours to complete.

"I start by having an idea in mind for the style that I want to work on, and then I'll pull from my textiles and make a selection that would all work nicely together, so that I can I can make a particular style using various textiles from the same group, so it becomes a collection rather than just a random bunch of hats," she said.

She wants to have something for everyone, and since her one-of-a-kind hats can be pricey, she has  commercially hats that are moderately priced.

"Typically in finishing a hat, there's handwork, which is why they become more expensive. Because some hats I spend well, literally hours on," she said.