Maker Studio projects help man keep his son’s memory alive

It started with a keychain for Andy Ermel.

Just a simple piece of wood laser engraved in the Maker Studio with his late son's name, birthday, and day of his death above an image of a single-prop plane.

"From there it just kind of exploded," Andy said.

It sure did.

Since that first project, Andy has created a host of items dedicated to his son, Joseph Aaron Ermel, a pilot who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2021. The items include a permanent vinyl sticker for his laptop, plus coasters, coffee mugs, posters, and a wooden box with different images on each side representing Joseph's interests.

"I'm grateful for the Maker Studio and the projects I made to honor my son," said Andy. Along his journey in honoring his son, Andy used just about every machine available in the Maker Studio. "There's so much here to work with, and it keeps expanding," Andy said. "It seems like every time I come in here something new has been added."  

Several pieces of the Maker Studio equipment was donated by the Foundation & Friends.