Mark Bishop was the cornerstone of support to his younger sister, Holly Merkel.

Having first lost her father, then her husband to brain cancer, Merkel called on her big brother for advice, help and companionship. But only six months after burying her husband, Merkel found herself cradling Bishop’s head as he took his last breaths.

Merkel talked about her experience Thursday, during sentencing for Justin Enslen, the 26-year-old Connoquenessing man whose decisions led to a head-on collision that killed Bishop and injured Merkel.

Enslen, who pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle, was sentenced to serve 5 to 10 years in prison.

Both Merkel and sentencing judge Timothy McCune called Enslen’s actions “selfish.” Merkel called him a monster.

Enslen, who did not have a driver’s license, was high on heroin, morphine, methadone, marijuana and a prescription anti-seizure drug when he drove home from his regular visit to a methadone clinic on Feb. 18, 2013.

The Dodge Ram Enslen was driving crossed the center line on Route 68 in front of an elementary school in Connoquenessing Township and collided head-on with Bishop’s Nissan Frontier.

Bishop, 52, of Oakland Township was killed.

At the time of the collision, Bishop was driving Merkel to the auto show in Pittsburgh — one of his many attempts to engage the still-grieving widow to get out of the house.

“I have lost the desire to live. I feel so much guilt that Mark was taken even though neither of us did anything to cause the accident,” said Merkel, 42.

Although her broken ribs have since healed, she still suffers flashbacks, nightmares and traumatic stress syndrome.

“I am still here because my mom needs me and because I don’t want her to suffer the loss of another child,” she said.

Bishop’s mother, 77-year-old Gertrude Bishop, also spoke.

“Since that day my life has been broken,” said Gertrude Bishop, who recalled watching her children leave her Lyndora home that morning.

She said it was a beautiful, sunny day and the youngest of her three sons told her he planned to take his Harley-Davidson for a ride when he got back, then he’d take home his beloved Shih Tzu, Charlie.

Instead, it was the last time Gertrude Bishop saw her son alive.

“I screamed, I cried, I cursed the person who did this,” said Gertrude Bishop in describing the days after Bishop’s death.

She and Merkel were tasked with the responsibility of selling Bishop’s belongings, including his home, camper and motorcycle. So emotionally intense were these tasks that Merkel and her mother have moved to Oklahoma.

“There were so many constant reminders of the accident that we decided to move away leaving friends and family behind,” Merkel said.

The women asked that people recall Bishop for his fun-loving nature and compassion. He had a passion for history and politics. He worked hard and volunteered when time allowed.

On the flip side, they noted that they’ve heard “nothing good” about Enslen, whose prior criminal history includes burglary, drunken driving and drug offenses.

And while awaiting the resolution of this case, Enslen was among a handful of Butler County Prison inmates caught smuggling Suboxone into the prison.

Suboxone is a drug used to treat opioid addiction as is methadone, the drug Enslen was receiving the day he crashed his car.

In sentencing Enslen, Judge McCune chastised the silent defendant not only for destroying Bishop’s family but also for casting a negative light onto people who are seeking prescription drugs in an honest effort to rid themselves of heroin addictions.

In addition to the prison time, the judge ordered Enslen to pay $3,500 in fines. And the judge said Enslen still could take another “hit” for violating parole on one of his earlier convictions.

In addition to a dozen members of Bishop’s family, at the court hearing were the state trooper who filed the charges against Enslen and a representative from Mother’s Against Drunk Driving.