The first annual 'Drive Fore DeMar' memorial golf tournament drew hundreds to Stamford Valley Golf Course on Saturday.

STAMFORD, Vt. — Eleven months have passed since North Adams, Mass., native Army Spc. Michael DeMarsico III died in Afghanistan, but his legacy lives on.

 

Thousands lined Route 2, from Greenfield to his hometown, welcoming him home last August. His family is now giving back to the community in his honor with fundraising events.

 

Two $1,000 scholarships will be given to a boy and girl at Drury High School, DeMarsico's alma mater, and many charities will benefit from Saturday's "Drive Fore DeMar" memorial golf tournament at Stamford Valley Golf Course.

 

Thirty-three groups shot at Stamford Valley on Saturday, an idea spearheaded by Michael's uncle Glen DeMarsico to "give back the way Mike would've wanted."

 

"We decided to take what happened and turn it into something good," said Lisa DeMarsico, the mother of the fallen soldier.

 

Despite a forecasted thunderstorm, which skimmed the area on Saturday, all teams were able to tee off and play the nine-hole course.

 

The event also benefitted from 22 sponsors who donated items for the 50/50 raffle, including Freight Yard Pub, Adams Community Bank and South Side Sales. The grand prize of four rounds of golf with carts at Pontoosuc Lake Country Club — expected to go to the heavily favored foursome that included two Drury High golfers — was also donated.

 

The family raised about $5,000 from the event. Previously, the family hosted a 5K race, "Up Front For DeMar" on Veterans Day that raised over $4,000. The race and golf tournament are expected to be annual events.

 

"We're going to do as much as we can every year," Lisa DeMarsico said.

 

The family also received support from the local veterans' agencies as well. Howard Carter of American Legion Post 152 in Williamstown presented a $1,000 check at the event. The North Adams Veterans Office and American Legion Post 125 donated flags that decorated the carts.

 

DeMarsico was killed on Aug. 16, 2012, by a roadside bombing in Panjwa'l, Afghanistan. The specialist served with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He was the second of three Berkshire County deaths in Operation Enduring Freedom, which started in 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks.