BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Ohio — On most days, Dawn Derbin visits her oldest son, Jacob, at St. Mary's cemetery, right next to Cuyahoga Heights High School, his alma mater.
"Hey, Jakey, Mama's here, buddy," Dawn says to her son. "I miss you buddy."
He's buried right next to his papa.
"Hi Dad," Dawn said to his grave."
Dennis Derbin was a fellow police officer and one of Jacob's heroes. The visits at the cemetery are both precious and intimate, but Dawn said she wanted to show the community how she deals with her grief, and keeps Jacob close to her heart.
"This is one of his sweatshirts that I got out of his laundry," she said while holding it at his grave. "But this is it. This is where I feel a little bit of peace."
And pride, for how Jacob lived ... and died.
"To hear people saying, 'Thank you for raising a hero,' I don't even know the response other than I'm so glad that the world had him," she said.
He'll always be her son, the one who checked in every day and said, "I love you."
"He was always reliable. If you asked him to do something, he would do it for you. No questions asked," Dawn said.
Jacob's grandmother, Linda Derbin, says as a boy, he was never afraid to stick up for others.
"He was like the hero then. He would not tolerate anybody being bullied. He would just walk up and diffuse the situation," Linda said.
"He was just an incredible human being. He would be silly at home and make us laugh and his smile, but then, you know, he left work 90 minutes early to get to work every day," Dawn said.
He was eager to get to a job that always felt meant to be.
"My dad, he was a police officer for 27 years," Dawn said.
Jacob's dad, Vince Trusso, is a Euclid police officer. Dawn also served her community.
"This is the day I got sworn in as a fireman in Brooklyn Heights," Dawn said of her years on the department.
While Dawn understands the risks that come with public service, she's still struggling with how she lost her son.
"I don't understand. He just was 23 and had endless potential," she said.
He was weeks away from his wedding to the love of his life, Liv.
"Him and Liv would cook together," Linda said. "They never fought. It was just so cute."
Dawn looked back on the night of Jacob's final shift as a Euclid police officer.
"I called him and we were talking and he was being silly. And I'm like, 'You're getting ready for work?' He's like, 'Yeah, I'm okay.' "(I said) Well, I love you buddy. And he's like, 'I love you too, Mom.' And I'm like, 'Be safe.' And he is like, 'Always am.' So that was our little thing. So, if I could tell him now, I'd say, 'Be safe in heaven, buddy," Dawn recalled.
"Well, he would say 'thank you.' He would say to everybody, that's what we need right now. And that's what we needed throughout, and that's what we're gonna need for the rest of our life," Dawn said.
We asked Dawn if she felt the love from the community.
"I do. From strangers, from people across the United States," Dawn said. "I'll remember everybody that came together."
And, she'll always carry on they way Jacob tried to live his life.
"In my darkest times and in those weak moments, I think of that. And I think of, 'What would Jacob do? What would Jacob do right now?'" Dawn said.
He'd follow the light of his giving heart, which chose to protect and serve those around him until the very end. His legacy -- the mark of a true hero.
"We love the comics and Marvel and DC. Some superheroes die at the end, but good always wins," Dawn said.
Jacob Derbin had a profound love of animals and ambitions of becoming a K-9 officer before he passed away. On the day of his funeral, the family asked for donations to support the Euclid K-9 fund in lieu of flowers.
If you'd like to help any of the causes that are important to the Derbin family, click the links below.
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