Garry Perks

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Former Marshalltown Community College men’s soccer player Garry Perks passed away recently, three days after being struck by lightning at Clearwater Beach, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Perks, 32, was one of a group of people who were injured when lightning hit Clearwater Beach on July 21. He sustained a direct strike, suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, according to reports from the Times, where he was kept in critical condition. Three days later, Perks went into cardiac arrest and died at the hospital. The Medical Examiner’s Office listed Perks’ cause of death as complications of electrocution.

Perks had lived in Florida for about a year with his girlfriend, a daughter and a son, according to the Times.

Perks came to Marshalltown Community College from Tain, Scotland, where he attended Tain Royal Academy. The 6-foot forward played in four games as a freshman under MCC head coach Marcelo Serrano in the fall of 2008, scoring two goals in the Tigers’ season-opening win against Dakota County Technical College.

The 2008 and 2009 MCC men’s soccer seasons were later forfeited because of recruiting infractions and subsequent sanctions from the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Perks left Marshalltown Community College after one season to attend Shorter College — now Shorter University — where he played soccer and eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/sports management, according to the Times.

Perks is survived by his parents, Steve Perks and Corinne Nicolson, his older brother Liam and younger brother Conner, and two children of his own.