Couple Married for 59 Years Celebrates the Birth of Their 100th Grandchild

The more, the merrier! A couple that’s been married for 59 years just welcomed the birth of their 100th grandchild, and they couldn’t be happier.

Western Illinois couple Leo and Ruth Zanger are doting grandparents to not just one, not just two, but a hundred grandchildren! The historic mark was reached after the birth of their great-grandson Jaxton Leo, who is their 46th great-grandchild and the son of their grandson Austin and his wife Ashleigh.

Despite the size of their family, the Zangers are family-oriented and extremely close to one another. Most of them live in Quincy, Illinois, and often get together for special occasions.

Every time the family gets together, they have to rent out a church hall just so everybody could fit. It also usually involves ordering about ten turkeys, or fifty pounds of ham!

With the number of gatherings they have in a year, the Zangers already have a routine in place for who’s in charge of supplies during particular gatherings. Everyone takes turns supplying their meals, and it often includes trying to outdo each other on the feasts they prepare.

When asked to comment about the number of grandchildren he has, “the good Lord just kept sending them,” the happy grandpa said.

Since Ruth and Leo wed, they’ve welcomed many children and grandchildren. Almost 60 years later, the couple celebrated the birth of their 100th grandchild, enough to “start our own town!” they joked.

Whether or not they expect to have more grandchildren in the future, Leo’s wife Ruth noted that “there’s always room for one more.”

The Zangers have been married for 59 years and had 12 children between 1956 to 1984. Their eldest daughter Linda is now 58, while their youngest son Joe is now 31. By the time Joe was born in 1984, he was already an uncle ten times over!

Joe’s eldest niece, Jeannine, was born to Linda and her husband Kenny Hardin in 1975. She and nine of her other cousins are older than their Uncle Joe, making it easy for them to get along because of their near ages.

Between Linda and Joe are their siblings Greg, Debbie, David, Donna, Steve, Mike, Daniel, Ernie, Matt, and Chuck. They are all responsible for the continued success of Leo’s business, Zanger and Associates.

While many of Ruth and Leo’s children work in the family business, Daniel Zanger, Austin’s dad and Jaxton’s grandfather, shares that “there’s a Zanger in just about every field.”

To keep up with their growing family, one of Leo and Ruth’s children. Donna volunteered to become their family’s unofficial historian, keeping track of all the important dates and information regarding their family, from weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries, to phone numbers.

More often than not, Donna considers being the unofficial historian as a labor of love. It’s a lot to keep track of, but it’s something she continues to do for the sake of their family. Whenever they get together, Donna’s in charge of letting everyone know. Talking about it, she shared:

“[Other family members] always say ‘Since you already have all of the phone numbers, can you just text or call them and let them know about whatever the event is?'”

For those who marry into the family, it’s admittedly a challenge to get to know everyone and memorize all of their names. While it can take a while, it’s definitely a pleasant experience that the spouses adjusted to one way or another.

Ashleigh, who married into the family and gave birth to Jaxton without realizing he was the 100th grandchild, admits that she feels “a little extra special.” It wasn’t until Donna and her husband Austin’s mom Kelly figured it out when she was three months pregnant.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might be easy to forget such a milestone, especially with such a big family. However, Austin proudly notes how close his entire family is. They spend a lot of time together, and they gladly help each other out whenever there’s a problem.

While many of Ruth and Leo’s children work in the family business, Daniel Zanger, Austin’s dad and Jaxton’s grandfather, shares that “there’s a Zanger in just about every field.” They’re a very busy family, but they don’t let this get in the way of their being close.

Daniel recalls never having a dull moment with their large family, and that it was a lot of fun growing up. Now that Leo and Ruth are raising grandchildren and great-grandchildren, they hope to instill the same sense of family to them.

Like many other families, the large clan gets together every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. However, they also make sure to celebrate other special milestones, like birthdays and anniversaries.

The special Zanger bond remains intact even with their 100th grandchild joining the crew, and it’s all thanks to Leo and Ruth’s dedication to keep the family together with their children’s help.

Like the Zangers, another widow from Pennsylvania, Marguerite Koller, celebrated the birth of her 100th great-grandchild this year. This was quite a feat for Koller, who once wanted to be a nun!