At age 101, Marion resident Norma Jacob and her five younger sisters set a world record. This May, the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that Jacob; Lorene Kollmeyer, age 98; Maxine Cole, age 97; Doris Griffith, age 93; Margaret Norton, age 90; and Elma Jennings, 88; set the world record for the highest combined age of six living siblings. On March 6, the years and days of each sister reached a total of 570 years.
The six sisters and one older brother were born to Stanley and Ethel Overall of Farmington, Missouri.
“God’s been good to us to give us the lives that we’ve had,” said Norton, who lives in Missouri, where all of the siblings except Jacob reside.
The Path to the World Record
Establishing the record was no easy task.
“It almost seemed like the sisters living for 570 years was the easy part,” Norma’s son, Dean Jacob of Marion, said with a smile. “We had to submit over 100 documents to Guinness, including things like birth certificates, marriage certificates, school records, witness statements, a video and photos of the sisters throughout the years as part of the application process. All my cousins pitched in for over two months to help accumulate all the documents.”
Family Travels Together
Until recent years, the Overall sisters would take group trips to places including Branson, Missouri, and Washington, D.C., where they were given the five-star treatment by Marion native and U.S. Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow. No matter where they went, they wore their numbered T-shirts.
“The sisters were a hit everywhere they went,” said Norton’s son, Pat Adams, who drove them around the nation’s capital. “They each have a wonderful sense of humor and possess the ‘gift of gab’. They had the time of their lives.”
“We hold an annual group birthday party for all of us each summer,” said Jennings.
Overall Siblings See History
“Our mothers are amazing women,” said Dean. “They are part of the Greatest Generation, having lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and so many other events over the past century. We felt they deserved to be recognized.”
“Our moms are a blessing … and a hoot!” said David Bequette, Cole’s son. “You can’t get a word in edgewise when they start talking. They can talk about the weather or who makes the best pie crust (Lorene currently claims the disputed title) like it’s the most important topic in the world.”
“Except for some expected aches and pains that have cropped up in recent years, they’re all in remarkable shape,” said Dean. “My mother, however, has begun a recent struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease, but until just a couple of years ago, she was just as witty and sharp as her younger sisters still are.”
Siblings Go Viral
When the siblings applied for the record, family members reached out to TV stations in St. Louis, Missouri.
Jay Jennings, a retired journalist and Elma’s son, said, “After the stories were aired, it went viral. News outlets from all over the country and even the United Kingdom and Australia picked it up. My cousins and our mothers have all been thrilled with the attention.”
The cousins are unanimous in their love and admiration for their mothers and aunts, and for the love those sisters have for each other.
Secret to Family Unity and Longevity
According to Margaret, “God’s been good to us to give us the lives that we’ve had and the camaraderie that we all have. No fusses, no fights to mention. We’ve had disagreements, but that’s to be expected.”
According to the sisters, there’s no real secret they’ve found to their longevity other than staying active, good genes and a good sense of humor.
As Jacob approached 100, she enjoyed saying, with a twinkle in her eye, “I’m so old, I don’t even buy green bananas anymore.”
“It’s too bad my grandparents weren’t more prolific,” quipped Dean. “Given their children’s longevity, with more siblings they might have been able to hold the overall (pun intended!) world record for the combined age of siblings set in 2023 by 13 Dutch siblings, whose combined age was 1,116 years. But every two months we add another year to the record, so who knows?”
Oldest Sibling Missed
Youngest sister Elma said, “We only wish our only brother, Stanley Jr., was still with us.”
Stanley was tragically killed in 2003 at age 81 while on one of his regular lengthy bicycle rides.
“If not for that accident, we believe Dad would also still be with us,” said Stanley’s daughter, Gail Agers. “Dad would’ve been very proud of his sisters because they meant the world to him.”
