Aunt, uncle care for Murray children

Love is something that has never been in short supply at the household of Mick and Julie Murray of Wellman. Mick, 47, and Julie, 46, died in a car accident Saturday and left behind four children. Bill Fiordelise, who is married to Julie?s sister Beth, has known Mick and Julie for a few decades dating back to when he, Beth and Julie attended a youth group together in Maryland.

Bill is from a small town in Maryland named Prince Frederick and Julie and Beth are from a small town in the same county named Solomons. The two families went to the same church and that was where they got to know each other.

?To be associated with their family is a great honor,? Bill said. ?Julie?s parents, R.B. and Gayle Garner, would do anything for anybody, and that is not a cliché. There was a naval base there and they let Navy guys stay at their house. Mick and I were lucky because he got one of the Garner girls and I got one of the Garner girls. You talk about marrying up. The love they have for people is incredible.?

Mick and Julie met while attending college at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. They eventually settled in Iowa where they lived for the past 20 years. Bill said that he and Beth wanted to be near Mick and Julie and they wanted their children to grow up with Mick and Julie?s children. In 1998, Bill and Beth moved to Richmond and they brought R.B. and Gayle with them. A few years later, Bill?s parents, Linda and Bill Fiordelise, also moved from Maryland to Washington County.

Bill and Beth are now taking care of the children. The Murrays? four children are Brittany, 20, Nicole, 18, Chase, 16, and Jordan, 14. Bill said that his family and Mick and Julie?s family would tell each other that if something happened to one of the couples, the other couple would take care of their children.

?You hope you never have to do that but it can happen,? he said.

Bill said the kids have been so strong through this ordeal, and he attributes their strength to their faith.

?Their faith in Jesus Christ is pretty much their life,? he said. ?This is a ministry opportunity for them. We all have our moments. The sadness comes and goes. You can be OK for awhile and then all of a sudden something gets you. You see someone you haven?t seen yet and you tear up.?

Bill said the Murray children are strong enough that they are the ones comforting their classmates and others who have come to visit them.

Bill and Beth have three children of their own: Mary Jo, who graduated from Mid-Prairie, Carrie, who is a senior at Mid-Prairie, and Ben, a sophomore at Mid-Prairie. Bill said their two families were so close that his children considered Mick and Julie their second set of parents. Bill said Carrie and Nicole were planning to hold their graduation parties together at the Kalona Mennonite Church. Both families attend the church, which is where Mick was served as the co-pastor for the past 17 years. Nicole and Carrie are both interested in attending Liberty University.

?The cousins almost treat each other like brother and sister,? he said. ?The kids get together for sleepovers all the time. Mick liked to take the boys out and hunt raccoons. For Christmas, we?d get together and their grandmother had them put on Christmas plays.?

Bill said he has been overwhelmed at the level of support the family has received.

?There is so much food coming in,? he said. ?People have opened up their houses for the family. The generosity and support has been wonderful. Is this tragedy hurting us? Yes. Are Mick and Julie in a much better place? Yes. But the kids are hurting at that school. Julie worked there. Both of them were seminar parents at the school. This hasn?t just affected the church. It has affected the school, too. ?

Bill said he has been asked many times how people can help, and he said he doesn?t know what to tell them. He said he and Beth haven?t made any decisions on what will happen with the house.

?This week has been crazy,? he said. ?We?ll try to make next week a little more normal.?