Everywhere Tamara McDaniel went, she took her children. They were her world.

She was so excited to move to a new home on Hamilton Street. It wasn't big; it wasn't fancy. But it was something. There was a yard for her children to play in, a roof over their heads. Most importantly, the family would be together.

On Tuesday night, the landlord — who said Ms. McDaniel was a friend — dropped off a gas-powered generator to hook up an electric heater. It was going to be cold.

The generator was hooked up in the kitchen. The family fell asleep on couches and the floor in the living room just feet away.

Ms. McDaniel, 39; her son, Damien Reyes, 18; daughter, Domonique Reyes, 16, and daughter, Taralynn Wood, 10, died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Lucas County coroner. They were pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The carbon monoxide levels in all four were in the 60-percent range; fatal levels in humans have been reported as low as 25 percent.

There were no carbon monoxide detectors in the house, authorities have said.

The Lucas County Auditor's Office Web site lists Steven Snow as the owner of the house at 1319 Hamilton St. A woman at his home Wednesday afternoon closed the door on a Blade reporter.

Mr. Snow has owned the 1,180-square-foot structure, which was built in 1894, since December, according to the auditor's office.

The home was supposed to be a new beginning for the family, said Aubrey Ibarra, who has known Ms. McDaniel since moving to Toledo in 1985.

"She was a great mom," Ms. Ibarra said Thursday, standing outside the Hamilton Street home. The street was quiet, the porch filled with teddy bears and homemade posters. "She would do anything for her kids."

Her life wasn't perfect. In fact, she had her share of hard times, but she was determined to make life better. She wanted her children to have everything she never did and more.

"I really need a job. I don't care if it's 10 hours or 15 hours a week. I need a job," Kamal "Mel" Ahmad recalled Ms. McDaniel saying to him when she walked into his restaurant, The Mango Tree on South Reynolds Road, six years ago.

Mr. Ahmad asked her if she was willing to work and if he could depend on her.

Yes, she told him.

"She never went back on her word," Mr. Ahmad said.

The single mother worked mostly Monday through Friday in four-hour shifts, catching the bus to and from work every day. She only wanted to work 20 hours each week. She had children to raise. If she was called in for a Saturday shift, her children came with her.

No one knew the family was living without heat, without electricity, without water.

She was proud; her problems were not for anyone else to worry about, Mr. Ahmad said.

But the family did struggle.

In a March, 2010, divorce filing from the Lucas County Common Pleas Court, Ms. McDaniel's annual income was stated as $15,184. In 2009, the poverty threshold in the United States was $21,954.

Ms. McDaniel was then appointed custody of Taralynn. The father, Harvey Wood, was to "complete a psychological evaluation and follow the recommendations of the evaluation" before seeking visitation rights, according to court records.

Mr. Wood stated his only source of income was $8,554 from social security assistance.

"She's always fallen on hard times. It was always something," said Tonia Wertz, Ms. McDaniel's sister. "But she managed to pull through, and you know, pride kept her from asking for help.''

Ms. McDaniel was the youngest of 12 children. She could have reached out and called any of her brothers and sisters, Ms. Wertz said.

One thing Ms. McDaniel was adamant about was being a good mother to her children. She made it a point to go to parent-teacher conferences, and if she couldn't go, Robert Reyes, the father of Domonique and Damien, would be there.

She made sure Taralynn had her homework done. She was a caregiver.

It was Ms. McDaniel's caring nature that probably rubbed off on Taralynn.

"She was like a little caregiver," said Taralynn's fourth-grade teacher Jill Patterson. Taralynn attended Marshall Elementary School in Toledo.

"If someone needed help, she wanted to take care of them, not just help them. She was just a delight. Friendly, greeted everyone that came to the door."

The friendly attitude seemed to be a family trait. Damien, who was set to graduate in June, was a student assistant at Waite High School. He helped out after lunch to clean up and make sure the cafeteria was tidy, Principal David Yenrick said.

"He was a very friendly young man. ... It's heart-breaking," Mr. Yenrick said.

"At least the family went peacefully, at least they were together," Ms. Ibarra said.

Everywhere Tamara McDaniel went, she took her children. They were her world.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at: tdungjen@theblade.com or 419-724-6054.

First Published March 25, 2011, 5:20 a.m.