Missouri Sisters – Ages 88 to 101 – Earn World Record for Having a Combined Age of 571!
“We’ve all been fortunate," says Doris Griffith, one of the sisters who now holds the record
Courtesy of Notley Hawkins
Norma Jacob (left), Lorene Kollmeyer, Maxine Cole, Doris Griffith, Margaret Norton and Elma Jennings stand together in July 2021Six Missouri sisters have been verified as the record holders for the highest combined age of six living siblings.
The Overall sisters of Farmington, Mo. — including Norma Jacob, 101, Lorene Kollmeyer, 98, Maxine Cole, 97, Doris Griffith, 94, Margaret Norton, 90, and Elma Jennings, 88 — now hold the record, Guinness World Records confirmed. The siblings range in age from 88 to 101 years old, and their total ages combined add up to 571 years, 293 days and counting, according to the organization.
The sisters were inspired to try for the record after learning of a group of siblings who set the record for having the combined highest age of 12 living siblings, according to the Columbia Missourian. The Overall sisters worked with other family members to submit various forms of proof, including birth and marriage certificates, videos and photos and witness statements from people who could confirm their ages.
Courtesy of Notley Hawkins
The Overall sistersRelated: 14-Year-Old Cat Earns World Record for Loudest Purr: 'She's a Stubborn Little Old Lady'
“We applied with them in mid-February,” Jacob’s son, Dean, said. “And we didn’t submit everything until about the middle of May.” The family sent in “at least” 100 documents before they received verification.
“This record attempt has been an exciting time for these sisters who are all now in the twilight of their lives,” Dean told Guinness World Records.
The sisters were born to Stanley and Ethel Overall in Farmington, Mo., and had one older brother, Stanley Overall Jr., who died in a 2003 bicycle accident at age 81. The sisters have stayed close over the years and often went on trips together to places like Washington D.C. They have also taken to wearing matching t-shirts with their birth order on them when they go out.
“They each have a wonderful sense of humor and possess the ‘gift of gab,' ” said Norton’s son, Pat Adams. Kollmeyer, Norton and Jennings, all born in July, also continue a tradition that their mother started and get the whole family together to celebrate their summer birthday.
As of today, Jacob, who resides in Ohio, lives in a memory care facility, while the rest of the sisters live in Missouri. Norton and Jennings live in assisted living centers, while Kollmeyer, Cole and Griffith live in their own homes. The sisters stay active; Cole takes fitness classes and Griffith walks nearly a mile every day.
Jennings tells Guinness World Records that she and her sisters “never stayed mad” at each other for long throughout their lives. The sisters also attribute their ages to family genes.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We’ve all been fortunate, I guess,” Griffith said. “To have such long, good lives.”
There are a number of other siblings who hold age-related records. Larry A. Brown, Lon B. Brown, and Gene C. Brown, from the United States, hold the record for oldest living male triplets, according to Guinness World Records. Additionally, the oldest identical twins to ever live were Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama from Japan, who were 108 when Koume died in 2022.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
