John Wayne Gacy married well as a young man. The New York Times reports that he met his first wife, Marlynn Myers, while the two worked NunnBush Shoe Company in Springfield, Illinois. They married nine months after becoming acquainted, moving into a house owned by Myers’ parents.

Gacy’s in-laws had purchased several franchises of the growing Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, opening several stores in the city of Waterloo, Iowa. Gacy and his wife moved to Waterloo in 1966, with Gacy moving into the role of assisting his father-in-law in managing the fast-food locations. An active member of the Jaycees while he lived in Springfield, Gacy became an enthusiastic member of this service club in Waterloo, becoming elected the chapter vice president and serving in the role of chaplain.

Everything seemed to be going Gacy’s way. He and his wife were soon the proud parents of two young children, he was blossoming as a manager at the local KFCs in Waterloo, and he was getting his name recognized as an active member of a well-known service organization. But whatever abnormalities drove Gacy’s darkest desires began to rear their ugly heads in 1968, leading to his first arrest.