Brian David Johnston
Wife: Karen
Brian, the Johnstons' first born, arrived May 29, 1977 in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The family lived in Hortonville for about three years before moving to
Sheboygan, where he grew up and attended a Christian school. He loved being
outdoors — sledding in the winter, swimming in the summer, and trips with
mom and dad to his uncle Charlie's cabin on Post Lake. He went to junior high
in Winona, Minnesota and graduated from Blair High School in Wisconsin. He
met his future wife Karen at a church in Augusta, Wisconsin, and they were
married on October 7, 2001. They now live in Stow, Ohio, where Brian is a
youth pastor at a church.
Sherilyn Barilani
Husband: John
Born November 9, 1981 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Sherilyn loved dolls as a
youngster. She was the first child to sleep in the solid oak cradle that
would later hold all five of her younger siblings in their first year. She
was also the first child homeschooled by Kathleen at Arrow Academy, the
family's home school. Sherilyn enjoyed working in the garden, camping, and
swimming, and was on the Blair swim team when the family lived there. After
graduating she worked for Ashley Furniture for a time, and married John
Barilani on September 30, 2005. They have four children: Andrew, Zachary,
Abbiegail, and Gabe.
Michael Johnston
Wife: Erika
Born November 16, 1983 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Michael was the active one
— baseball, basketball, swimming, the outdoors, camping. He was a fearless
tree climber too: when the family was considering buying the house in Blair,
Michael shimmied twenty feet up a tree out back to look in through the
second-story windows of the house they didn't yet own. He four-wheeled in
high school, worked on a farm milking cows as a teenager, and spent several
years at Ashley Furniture. He met his future wife Erika while the family
lived in Blair, and they were married on December 22, 2007 at Stoney Creek
Hotel during a snowstorm. He is now a supervisor of a pipeline crew —
working outdoors of course. They have three children: Paris, Caydan, and
Silvia.
Stephen Unser
Wife: April
Born October 2, 1989 after a mad dash from Winona, Minnesota to La Crosse,
Wisconsin — a 40-minute drive done in 20 — Stephen is the quiet one. He
talks when he has something important to say, and he's adventurous, willing
to try anything at least once. He swam for both the USA and YMCA swim teams,
with the one-mile swim as his favorite. His quiet streak made him hard to
keep track of as a kid; he once crashed a four-wheeler, hurt his arm, came
home, went to his room, and only told the family later. He's a hard worker
who helped his younger brothers remodel the family kitchen and back porch in
Blair. He now works for Ashley Furniture in shipping. He married April on
January 30, 2015 and they have two sons, Jacob and Jackson.
Timothy Johnston
Wife: Kate
Born May 22, 1991 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Timothy was another active child
— gardening, swimming, yard work, biking, and taking apart and fixing
whatever he could get his hands on. He is meticulous when he works on a
project, and he directed many of the family's house renovations in Blair,
including the kitchen and back porch. He swam for the USA and YMCA swim
teams and went to Holland with the US Friendship Games. He once complained
at a swim meet that the pool water was too cold — and then went to Alaska
with Stephen and Dad and jumped into a lake just a week after the ice went
out. No more complaints about pool temperature after that. He met his future
wife Kate in Ohio and they were married on June 22, 2019. They have two
children, Natalie and Mackenna.
Daniel Johnston
Wife: Caylin
Born November 29, 1994 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Daniel was a follower —
wherever his two older brothers went, he was right behind. He swam for the
USA and YMCA swim teams, traveled to a major meet in Topeka, Kansas, and to
YMCA Nationals in Florida. He surprised Dad, Stephen, and Timothy when they
came home from Alaska with a beautiful golden lab puppy he named Buddy —
Kathleen's favorite dog of all the family pets. He married Caylin on
December 2, 2017. They have two children, Brinley and Dak, and Daniel is now
into motocross racing as Dak races.
Katie Johnston
Fiancé: Nick Greenway
Born July 10, 1997 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Katie swam for the USA and YMCA
swim teams. She loved stuffed animals as a child and has always been
creative — she once repainted her bedroom in Blair with an ocean scene,
and to this day she'll look up step-by-step directions online to build
whatever she has in mind. She graduated from UNCG with a degree in Biology
and is a medical technician at Duke University Hospital. A true Gen Z child
— everything is on her phone, from opening the door to turning on the
lights. She has a kind heart and is willing to help anyone in need.
