Perry High principal, shot at the school, described at funeral as a model of love, grace

Dan Marburger, the Perry High School principal hailed as a hero for sacrificing his life to save those of his students in a Jan. 4 shooting at the school, was remembered at his funeral Saturday as a jovial, hardworking man who "modeled love and grace every day."

The pastor who led the service, Jeremy Winter, called on the family, friends and supporters in attendance to keep alive Marburger's love for his community through acts of kindness.

The funeral, which was held at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines and livestreamed on its website, showed photos of Marburger with family and friends as songs of love and remembrance played, such as Riley Green’s “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

Marburger, 56, was taken to UnityPoint Health Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines after he was shot, and he underwent daylong surgery. His wounds claimed his life 10 days later. He has been widely praised for his heroism during the shootings. Several accounts said that he attempted to distract the shooter, student Dylan Butler, 17, giving other students time to escape the school cafeteria, where the shootings began during breakfast.

Butler also shot and killed 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and wounded four other students and two other staff members before turning a gun on himself.

Perry High School, closed since the shootings, will tentatively reopen Jan. 31, the Perry School Board decided Friday.

Dan Marburger's family remembers him as a caring man, dedicated father

Marburger’s wife and daughter both spoke at the funeral, remembering him as a loving and caring man.

“The last couple of weeks have been very hard to come up with words,” said Claire Marburger, Dan Marburger’s daughter. “There really aren’t any; nothing to bring Dad back. Nothing that makes us hurt less or the pain better.”

Claire Marburger, who was clad in black, fought through tears during her eulogy.

“I want to paint the picture of the man everyone has been calling a hero the last couple weeks,” she said. “The man that I, along with my siblings, had the privilege to call Dad.”

Marburger was a jovial, hard-working family man who rooted for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago White Sox, his daughter said.

“Of all the sports and activities to be a fan of, Dad was the biggest and most dedicated fan to the five of us kids,” she said.

Claire Marburger went on to recall light-hearted moments that her siblings and her father shared through the course of their lives. Dan, who frequently traveled to see Claire’s college basketball games at Luther College, was a dedicated father, she said.

“If I had a genie with one wish, it wouldn’t be a new car, or a house, or a dollar amount, or to have Dad back because I know that’s a big wish,” she said, fighting through tears. “My wish would be for one of Dad’s hugs. Just a couple of seconds to hold him, and he’d hold me to kiss me on the top my head and tell me he’s proud of me.”

Dan Marburger’s wife, Elizabeth, spoke about the unconditional love that Dan gave throughout his life.

“It’s the only kind of love Dan gave,” Elizabeth Marburger said. “Forty-three years ago in eighth grade, I became the recipient of that love. It just doesn’t seem like long ago.”

Dan Marburger enjoyed being in the company of students, both current and former, and employees, she said.

“Dan was the ultimate family man,” she said. “He modeled love and grace every day. My wish for all of you is to have someone — a parent, a partner, a friend, a sibling — that will love you unconditionally like Dan did for me.”

The family has struggled in the last couple of weeks since the shooting, Elizabeth Marburger said, but there’s still hope to seek good in the world despite the tragedy.

Pastor asks community to remember Dan Marburger through acts of kindness

Winter, the family’s pastor, recalled how much Dan Marburger changed the lives of people around him and how much of a loss it was for him to have died.

“This sucks, everything about it,” Winter said. “We shouldn’t be here today for this, but we are, and it’s hard and it hurts a lot. I’ve been thinking all week, 'What can I say to not make it hurt?' but there’s nothing I can say to make it better.”

One other certainty is the love that Marburger had for his family and his community, Winter said.

“Dan loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved going to the farm. He loved his community, and he loved his school,” Winter said. “He loved the people he worked with, and he loved the students and he was there for each one of them.”

The love that Marburger bestowed on the community should live on through acts of kindness throughout the community, Winter said.

"Go love people," Winter said. "Go be there for people. Go be Dans in this world. We need more of them. We need all of you to do it."

The service ended with a slide show of photos of Dan Marburger with family and friends.

The family held a private ceremony afterward at Violet Hill Cemetery in Perry.

José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for The Des Moines Register. He can be reached at jmendiola@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Perry High principal, shot at school, recalled as model of love, grace