Couple Celebrates 61 Years Of Marriage And The Birth Of Their 100th Grandchild


Leo Zanger has quite the family. Some of you may believe that you have a large family but Leo is here to put us all to shame. He and his wife Ruth have been wed for over 60 years. In fact, they have recently celebrated their 61st anniversary. The Illinois couple welcomed their 100th grandchild into the world three years ago. By last year, the number had reached 102.

According to Leo, the couple views all of these grandchildren as a blessing from the man upstairs. He even joked that they could start their own town if they wanted to. The couple has been married since 1956 and they have been populating their Illinois town ever since. While some families of this size might struggle to get together, this one remains tight knit.

Those of us with smaller families do not have any such excuses. Their family shindigs require a sizable amount of family. Can you believe that the Zanger clan has been known to go through at least 50 pounds of ham per sitting? They struggle to avoid breaking fire codes when they get together and this is why they are forced to rent out large buildings for these occasions.

They have so many grandchildren, they were unaware that they were on the verge of having their 100th until someone else told them. Apparently, two of the grandchildren were engaged in their own competition and were well aware of the number. They were competing to see who could give birth to the 100th grandchild first! What a fun loving bunch.

This definitely seems like the type of family that would be fun to hang out with. Donna Zanger Lane is the family historian and she is responsible for keeping up with all of their milestones. Even after the birth of so many grandchildren, Leo and Ruth still welcome each of them as if they are the first. That is what keeps this couple so young.

If you would like to learn more about this awesome family and all of their descendants, be sure to check out the video below. Did you enjoy their amazing story as much as we did? If so, take a moment to pass it along to all of your friends and loved ones. They may have a tough time believing this story and proof is necessary! This is one family that knows how to live life.


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