MarionMade!: Sisters, one 101 from Marion, set Guinness world record for high combined age

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At age 101, Marion resident Norma Jacob and her five younger sisters set a world record.

In May, the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed Jacob; Lorene Kollmeyer, 98; Maxine Cole, 97; Doris Griffith, 93; Margaret Norton, 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.

“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.

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.”

Traveling sisters had 'the time of their lives'

Until recent years, the sisters would take group trips to places including Branson, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. 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,” Jennings said.

“Our mothers are amazing women,” said Dean Jacob. “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 Jacob. “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.”

Their story goes viral in Missouri

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 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.

According to Margaret Norton, “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.”

Youngest sister Elma Jennings said, “We only wish our only brother, Stanley Jr., was still with us.”

Stanley Jr. 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.”

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion resident, five sisters set Guinness Book age world record