Johnny and Shelly Markley married young. Shelly was just 16 years old in 1979.
Their marriage was strong, however, and they went on to have five children together. Johnny worked as a truck driver, and Shelly was a stay-at-home mom. They lived in rural Bristolville, Ohio.
Beginning in 1992, the couple would experience some hardships and tough times. In 1992, Johnny’s twin sister Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Johnny was devastated- of course- and even worked hard to fundraise $15,000 to send her to Mexico for experimental treatments.
In 1993, the home that the Markleys lived in burned to the ground. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
In 1994, Johnny’s father passed away, another devastating blow to this hardworking family man.
Then tragically, in December of 1995, Johnny’s sister succumbed to her breast cancer.
Johnny was devastated.
On the morning of December 15, 1995, Shelly and Johnny got the children off to school together. This was a normal occurrence for the Markley’s, and the youngest child, just age 8 at the time, was put on the bus around 8:30 a.m.