Illinois family with 10 siblings at least 80 years old say genetics, faith key to longevity
For Lawrence Meyer, 87, of Manito, Illinois, being in a large family means he always has a place to go for Christmas dinner.
“One of the siblings usually invites me to go there,” he said.
Meyer’s parents, Bill and Minnie Meyer produced 14 children in their 56 years of marriage. Their children, in turn, collectively produced 44 children over a total of 533 years of marriage. His youngest brother, Paul Meyer, celebrated his 80th birthday last month, joining nine living siblings who are 80 or over.
Ranging in age from 80 to 96, they have a cumulative age of 869 years, well short of the world record set by the 12 Hernandez siblings of Moya, Spain, who will reach a combined total of 1,060 years next January. But Meyer believes his family's combined 533 years of marriage is its most impressive achievement, given the state of modern marriage.
"Marriage needs to be centered on God, because it was created by Him and sustained by Him," he said. "We need to realize we need His help and His grace. There can be hardship, but that doesn't mean you just separate. You ask yourself 'What was my part in causing the problem?'"
Genetics on his father’s side played a key role in longevity among his siblings, Meyer said. But he and his family do not discount the power of their faith as a contributing factor.
“Our faith in God and our love for one another are really important,” said Meyer. “We live the faith and we live for God’s word. I just think we’ve been blessed.”
When Meyer and his siblings were growing up, Christmas celebrations meant large family gatherings. The family set up nativity scenes both inside and outside of their home, and attendance at a church service was always on the Christmas Day itinerary.
“It was really a celebration of joy and the importance of what Christmas really means,” Meyer said. “It marks the day Christ came into the world. God loves us and created us because of His love. We’re supposed to learn how to love and give back to God by living lives of goodness.”
When the Meyer siblings began raising families of their own, the large Christmas gathering gave way to a series of smaller celebrations.
“Now that some of us have their own grandchildren, they become the center of a Christmas celebration,” Meyer said. “Instead of one big center, everybody has their own center.”
Christmas is still a celebration of faith and family ties, Meyer added. He plans to attend Mass on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. One of the married siblings traditionally extends a holiday invitation to the family members who have remained single. While Christmas is for branches of the family to each host their own festivities, Meyer and his siblings try to get together once a month, and the family holds a well-attended reunion every two years. Even though such family gatherings can be large and rather noisy, Meyer asserted that they rarely become unruly or argumentative.
“There’s hardly ever any conflict,” he said. “We have differences of opinions on some things, but on the whole it’s very joyful and very peaceful. We just enjoy each other.”
This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Illinois family has 10 siblings at least 80 years old
