It s been a long year for the Granata family.

Not a day goes by that they don t think of Kevin Granata the son, brother, husband, and father.

So the fact that today marks one year since he became one of the 32 people killed during the massacre at Virginia Tech doesn t mean much to them.

They had no interest in going to Blacksburg for the university s crowded memorial service and will instead spend a quiet day in Toledo and attend a Mass in his honor.

It changes the way you live day-to-day. It s not about the anniversary, said Anne Macy, the youngest of Kevin s siblings. It s more purposeful.

Mr. Granata, 45, was shot in the hallway of Norris Hall during the shooting rampage of Seung-Hui Cho. It s believed he was one of the last victims before Cho committed suicide after killing two people in a dorm and 30 more in the academic building.

Police told the family that after hearing the commotion and helping students safely hide in his third-floor office, Mr. Granata went to the second floor to get more students.

Kevin walked to a classroom and knocked on the door and the only thing we can think is he was trying to get more students out, his sister Eileen Granata said. But Cho answered the door and he shot him.

The family takes comfort in the fact that he was the only person who knowingly went into that situation and he did so to protect students.

If Kevin hadn t gone down to help those kids, he d be OK. But that wasn t Kevin, his mother, Millie Granata, said. If you jumped in the river, he d jump in there after you.

She gets emotional when she talks about her son. Many considered him one of the country s top scientific researchers in the field of biomechanics, but to his family he was an adventurous spirit who loved his children.

Mr. Granata, as a child, enjoyed sailing and often tested the limits, dumping his sisters in the water. He played football at St. Francis de Sales and later rowed crew while getting his master s degree at Purdue University.

He ran with his children, led their Boy Scout troops, coached lacrosse, and helped with piano lessons.

While there s no question he was brilliant, his family said Mr. Granata, who headed Virginia Tech s engineering, science, and mechanics department, was modest about his academic and professional achievements.

It was no surprise to his family that he would become a scientist.

As a child, he would tinker with an electronic play set in the attic and cause his neighbor s garage doors to go up and down, his mother said with a laugh.

If you went to a concert with Kevin, he d be analyzing the acoustics and how they can be better, Eileen Granata said.

While it hurts them to know those memories are all they have, Eileen Granata said the biggest loss is that the children he loved so much will grow up without their dad.

His wife, Linda, and children Alex, Eric, and Ellen, who are ages 12 to 14, live in Blacksburg.

They, too, will spend the anniversary away from the crowded university.

The Granatas could dwell on the what-ifs that accompany a tragedy.

What if Virginia Tech had locked down the campus after the first shooting? Mr. Granata probably wouldn t have gone to campus because he had no classes that day. In fact, nobody should have been in Norris Hall if that had been done.

What if someone had reached out to Cho and tried to help him before he reached the point of shooting?

Although the Granatas think about those things, they say they d rather picture Kevin watching a movie surrounded by his children or hiking in the mountains near his home.

It s really hard, Eileen Granata said. You don t miss him any less as time goes on.

Contact Meghan Gilbert at: mgilbert@theblade.com or 419-724-6134.

First Published April 16, 2008, 10:25 a.m.