Marcella Sue Markle
December 20, 1940 - July 7, 2020
Marcella Sue Markle
Marcella was born on December 20, 1940 to Homer and Helen
McMillan in Bluff City, Illinois. Her
childhood was spent in Illinois with her sister Betty.
Marcella married Jesse Lou Markle on April 9, 1960.
Just weeks after they were married, the Navy transferred
Jesse to Long Beach, California.
Jesse and Marcy spent their lives together in Southern
California. They owned multiple businesses along
the way, including apartment buildings, a trucking company,
and more. Unable to have children of their
own, they also were known for taking in young people and
helping them along the way. They were
proud of the roles they had in the lives of those they
helped “raise,” including Sean Laycox and Dean
Markle.
In 1977, they purchased Cowboy Country Campground in Aguanga
California. Jesse continued working
at Todd Shipyard in Long Beach and came home on the
weekends, while Marcella lived and worked on
the campground. The first time she drove to Aguanga, she
remembered thinking about how brown and
dead everything looked. Yet, over the years, she grew to
love the beauty of the high desert
environment that became her home.
On October 12, 1979 they realized their dream of becoming
parents when they adopted their daughter
Jennifer. They raised Jennifer while continuing to work the
campground. Jesse passed away on April 30,
1995.
Marcella finally sold the campground and retired around
2000. She moved as far away from the
campground as she could stand... Across the street!
On April 10, 2003, Marcella gave her daughter in marriage to
her new son-in-law Andrew Hernandez. As
time went on, it appeared that Jennifer was going to follow
in her footsteps, being unable to have a
child. Needless to say, it came as a complete shock when
Jennifer and Andrew “promoted” Marcella to
grandma! Her pride and joy of a grandson, Joshua Lawrenzo
Hernandez, was born on March 28, 2013.
While her health was already fading, Joshua brought new life
and gave her a reason to keep going. You
could see the absolute joy on her face every time she held
him, every time he climbed on her lap, every
time he said the word “Grandma.” She loved watching him as
he grew.
Marcella was known for her care and hospitality. She always
made sure that any person who walked
through her door had a full belly when they left. She loved
to cook homestyle comfort food. She also
had a love of horses, lighthouses, Elvis Presley, old
westerns, and especially John Wayne. She will be
dearly missed by all those who knew her.
Marcella battled many health issues her entire life, and was
know for her fighting spirit. Even in her final
days, her caregivers shared stories of how she made them
smile with her strong will and determination.
Marcella went home to be with the Lord on July 7, 2020. In
lieu of flowers, the family is requesting a
donation to the charity that was dear to Marcella’s heart,
St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
