A beloved principal who suffered serious injuries during a shooting at Perry High School in Iowa has died.
Dan Marburger “courageously put himself in harm’s way to protect his students, and ultimately gave his own life to save them,” the state’s governor Kim Reynolds wrote upon his death. “He will forever be remembered for his selfless and heroic actions. May he rest in peace.”
Marburger was among three staff members and four students who were injured after a 17-year-old student opened fire in Perry High School on Jan. 4. A sixth grader, Ahmir Jolliff, died after being shot three times.
The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An improvised explosive device was found during a police search of the school.
For 10 days, Marburger fought for his life in hospital before succumbing to his injuries on Sunday morning, his family wrote on a GoFundMe page raising money for medical bills.
“He fought hard and gave us 10 days that we will treasure forever,” the update reads.
Marburger’s daughter Claire recounted on Facebook how her father stepped in to “distract” the shooter that day to protect his students.
“(H)e tried to approach and talk (the gunman) down and distract him long enough for some students to get out of the cafeteria,” she wrote.
Claire added that when she learned about the school shooting, she “instantly had a feeling” her dad may have been a victim because he wouldn’t hesitate to “put himself in harm’s way for the benefit of the kids and his staff.”
“That’s just Dad.”
The shooting at Perry High School occurred on the first day back from winter break at around 7:30 a.m., just before the school day started. At that point, not many students were on campus, but a breakfast program was underway in the cafeteria.
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The Perry Community School District is mourning Marburger and remembering him as a “tremendous leader in our school district and a loving husband, father, and grandfather.”
“Our school community is heartbroken by Dan’s death. For nearly three decades, Dan was ingrained in every aspect of our Perry Community School District environment, and we are feeling the immense loss of a devoted and caring colleague,” the school district wrote on its website.
Claire described her father as a “gentle giant” who gave the “best hugs” and was utterly devoted to his children.
She recounted how her dad would drive “7 hrs round trip on school nights to catch my college games,” and noted that he would make sure to stick around “long enough to slip me a $20, tell me I played well, give me a hug, and head out.”
In a followup post after her father’s death, Claire wrote that her father took great pride in seeing his students graduate, especially the ones he “harped on and held up tough expectations for.”
For months before graduation, her father would test himself with flashcards to make sure he pronounced each student’s name correctly “so that every student and family got to hear their child’s name … as they crossed the stage.”
“If you know how diverse Perry is, you know how tough a test this can be,” she added.
“I love you, Dad. You are the best, forever.”
Iowa Gov. Reynolds has ordered that all flags in the state be lowered to half-mast until sunset on the day of Marburger’s funeral.
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