Joining the Marines was a lifelong dream for LCpl Daniel Rocco Scherry, who was a star football player at Rocky River High School. Scherry, 20, who became a Marine after graduating from high school in 2005, died April 16, 2007 from a non-hostile accident in Al Anbar province, Western Iraq. Scherry had been in Iraq for a short period, the Pentagon said. A military incident report said Scherry was electrocuted when he grasped an electrical wire while the gunner in the turret of a MTVR-7 in the vicinity of combat outpost Timberwolfe. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. In a written statement the family said "Danny" loved football and the Marines. He played on the football team for four years at Rocky River High School, including three years as a varsity starter. Before joining the Marines, Scherry graduated from the Fire Training Academy at Cuyahoga Community College. "Service in the Marines was his lifelong dream," the family stated. "In his short tenure with the Marines, he received two promotions and was looked up to by members of his battalion." The head football coach for the Rocky River High School Pirates, said Scherry was passionate about the gridiron and could have played at the college level. While in high school, he won the school's Heart of a Teammate award, which recognizes excellence on the field and respect from coaches and players. Daniel was survived by his parents Robert J and Marianne (nee LaSalvia) Scherry and sisters Kacie and Lauren. Funeral Mass was held at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland's West Park area. The Rev. John J. Cregan eulogized Scherry as a "young man always coming to the defense of others." "I know your hearts are breaking, and our hearts are breaking for you," Cregan told the Scherry family. "I've known him from birth to death in 20 years," said Cregan, who came to the parish in 1986, the year Scherry was born. "He accomplished more and touched more people in 20 years than some people ever do."

LCpl Scherry is interred in Lakewood Park Cemetery.

Information as gathered from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 18, 23 & 29, 2007.