Debra L. Gerlach's marriage of about 16 years was irreparably shattered, but the 41-year-old Cambria County nurse was becoming increasingly confident in the plans she was making for herself and the couple's four children.

"She had hopes of going back to school, to make sure things were secure for her and her family," recalled her niece, Amy Forcellini. "She definitely had plans. Being away from him was allowing those dreams to come true.

"She really had been happiest recently, the more separation there was between the two of them."

The dreams of years to come were dashed in milliseconds of gunfire early Sunday in her Cambria Township home, just outside of Ebensburg. Authorities said her estranged husband David Gerlach, 42, fatally shot Ms. Gerlach and her friend, Paul Demetri, 44, of Berwyn Heights, Md., and then killed himself -- fulfilling a threat he made last year.

"I don't think anybody believed he would go through with such violence," said Ms. Forcellini, of Vinco, Cambria County.

She said in the aftermath of the violence, members of Mr. Gerlach's family contacted Ms. Gerlach's surviving family, which includes her mother and four siblings, all in the Johnstown area.

"They were shocked, too. They mentioned they knew Dave was not well but didn't realize the extent of his [mental] illness. He definitely had an illness because he was on and off his medication."

Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski, who ruled the deaths a double homicide-suicide, said Mr. Gerlach went to the residence at about 2:47 a.m. armed with a handgun. Ms. Gerlach likewise had a gun, and at some point they exchanged fire. All three victims were struck multiple times, but Mr. Gerlach's fatal wound was from a self-inflicted shot to the head, Mr. Kwiatkowski said.

The couple, who had been estranged for about 18 months, leave behind four children -- Kiel, Zachary, Jordan and Gracie -- ranging in age from 6 to 14, who at the time of the incident and for the week prior to it were at Mr. Gerlach's home. They are now in the care of Ms. Gerlach's family.

"It's pretty difficult right now. The youngest two we don't think understand and comprehend completely. The oldest two are having a difficult time," Ms. Forcellini said.

"This is so senseless. All we can tell them is that both parents loved them and that we'll be taking care of them. We're going to make sure all four stay together regardless of what happens."

She said Mr. Gerlach, a former Marine and an aeronautical engineer who most recently worked as a buyer for a defense contractor, had been holding up the divorce process by refusing to sign court papers.

The family doesn't know what caused the fatal altercation, she said, noting that to their knowledge the couple had no contact on Saturday. It is possible, she said, that Mr. Gerlach became enraged because his wife had been spending time with Mr. Demetri.

Mr. Demetri was in the area attending Johnstown's "Thunder in the Valley," the 11th annual motorcycle rally that attracts upward of 200,000 people. Mr. Demetri and Ms. Gerlach first met at the event last year and became friends.

"They've known each other for a while and it was turning into more of a relationship, but there was nothing prior to her marriage ending," Ms. Forcellini said.

Court filings show the couple had a stormy relationship. When the family lived in Stafford, Va., a SWAT team responded when Mr. Gerlach armed himself with a rifle after an argument with his wife. He was arrested after a three-hour standoff and spent several days in jail.

Ms. Gerlach said in court filings in Cambria County that after the couple separated, Mr. Gerlach damaged her car in March 2007. Two months later, he entered her house and urinated on her bed. The next day, she said, Mr. Gerlach met her at a Denny's restaurant in Richland Township, Cambria County, called her names in front of the children and said she would "get what she deserves."

The most serious incident happened Sept. 17 in Ms. Gerlach's home after Mr. Gerlach arrived to review a divorce settlement he had asked her to write. According to her court filing, he became angry and said, "You will not be happy until you destroy me. I will sever your spine and watch you lay there quivering."

She said he then tried to stab her with a 10-inch pair of scissors and said, "I am going to kill you and myself 'cause I'm not going to jail."

After she yelled for help, Ms. Gerlach said, her children came up from the basement and surrounded her to protect her. Mr. Gerlach finally left, she said, and she contacted her lawyer to file for a protection-from-abuse order the next day.

In December, a judge signed an order in which the couple agreed to have no contact except by e-mail. Mr. Gerlach also agreed to continue counseling.