They say “the more, the merrier”, and this is true especially when it comes to families.The bigger the clan is, the louder and much more memorable family reunions are. Some people belong to small-sized families while some belong to really huge ones.Blue Bell resident Marguerite Koller belongs to one massive family and she is the matriarch.
The elderly woman, who is nearing her 100th birthday, is not only a mom but also a grandmother and a great-grandmother. And just recently, she welcomed her 100th great-grandchild!To be exact, Marguerite has 11 children, 56 grandchildren, and 100 great-grandchildren. Wow!
Surprisingly, Marguerite herself is an only child.
What’s even more surprising is how she almost became a nun. She decided not to join the convent and in 1942, she married her husband, William, in Roxboro, Pennsylvania.
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
It was a marriage that resulted in 11 lovely children and the huge family that Marguerite now has. Can you imagine what would have happened if she did join the convent back then?
Marguerite is the matriarch of four living generations.
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
The 99-year-old simply cannot imagine life without her enormous family. She is quite thankful for all the members who are all blessings in her life.
“I’m just thinking about how lucky I am,” the woman shared.
Her family tree is definitely one to fill a page of the paper, or more!
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
The recent addition to their family is named after her late husband.
If not for her husband, Marguerite would have been in a convent back in 1942, and all these children would not have been born from her line.
Thankfully, she decided to make her own family with William, and here she is today, a grand matriarch to a big and loving family. Holiday gatherings are surely full of excitement with a family this massive.
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
Christine Balster, Marguerite’s granddaughter and mother of the 100th great-grandchild, said she and her husband Patrick wanted to honor both of her grandparents by naming their son after their grandfather who passed away in 2008.
“My husband liked the name Kole, and it felt very natural to name him Koller and William as the middle name,” Christine shared with NBC Philadelphia.
Christine also praised the “amazing legacy” her grandmother has built.
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
Marguerite’s grandchildren cannot believe that their grandmother is as strong as ever and is still around to watch her family grow even bigger.
“And to be the age she is and still going about it every day,” said Greg Stokes, Marguerite’s grandson, “it’s unbelievable.”
Not all people are gifted with a long life. And to be able to see her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow as time passes by is already a reward Marguerite is eternally thankful for.
SOURCE: YOUTUBE – NBC10 PHILADELPHIA
Truly, this story is incredible and heartwarming. Everything that has happened in the past has led to this amazing family that almost was not possible. But, of course, God had better plans.