Lance Cpl. Daniel Scherry

Thousands turn out to mourn fallen Marine
By Ben Saylor
Rocky River
Published May 2, 2007

More than 1,000 mourners packed Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church on Rocky River Drive Saturday morning to mourn the loss of Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry, 20, a Rocky River resident who died in Iraq April 16.

The Mass, which took place around midday Saturday, was so heavily attended that some mourners went into the adjacent St. Francis of Assisi, in which the Mass could be viewed on a projection setup being fed from Our Lady of Angels into St. Francis’s Linus Hall.

The hall itself was decorated with tributes to Scherry from students at Our Lady of Angels, where Scherry himself attended school. The posters included messages such as “We will miss you Danny,” “Thank you Danny Scherry. You are my hero,” “Danny Scherry is in our hearts” and many more.

Scherry and his family were escorted to the church by a large procession including several area police departments, as well as several motorcycle-riding Marines and a fire engine. Many mourners lined Rocky River Drive as the procession approached, some of whom carried American flags. Many members of the Rocky River High School football team were in attendance as well, wearing the Pirates’ maroon jersey over their shirts and ties.

The Rev. John J. Cregan, who had known Scherry from the soldier’s birth, delivered the homily. Cregan spoke of Scherry’s zeal for being a Marine, and of his dedication both to the Marines and to the sport of football.

“We need to keep these memories in our minds forever,” Cregan said.

Matthew Hanrahan, a friend of Scherry’s, remembered his love of superheroes and characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and reminisced about their time growing up together.

Mark Wagner, the defensive coordinator for the Rocky River High School football team, also spoke about Scherry’s dedication to football and the Marines.

“He loved his teammates,” Wagner said.

Of Scherry’s commitment to the Marines and his country, Wagner said, “To me, his life not only reflected that service, but it took on a special meaning.”

Scherry’s sister Kacie spoke last, echoing Hanrahan’s remarks about Scherry’s love of superheroes like Batman, and said her brother “always wanted to be a hero.” She spoke of his love for holidays, and how she, Scherry and Lauren, Scherry’s other sister, would wake up in the same room on Christmas morning. She talked about how proud she was the day Scherry graduated from Marine boot camp. Her eulogy was met with thunderous applause from the mourners in the church.

The procession went from the church down Detroit Road, past the high school, per request of the family. Residents had been encouraged throughout last week to line the road in tribute to Scherry. He was buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery in Rocky River.

Scherry died in a noncombat incident in Al Anbar province in Iraq, and is the first Rocky River resident to be killed in the Iraq conflict. A 2005 graduate of Rocky River High School, Scherry had completed the Fire Training Academy at Cuyahoga Community College before going into the Marines, and had planned on being a firefighter some day.

However, Scherry wanted to go into the Marines even more, something that has been said repeatedly by those who knew him well.

“If Danny hadn’t served, his life might have been longer,” Kacie Scherry said on Saturday. “But it wouldn’t have been complete.