97 years young and still "with it"!

One Couple: 5 children

plus

5 spouses,

plus 19 grandchildren,

plus 15 their spouses,

plus 40 great-grand children,

plus 8 their spouses,

plus 8 great-great grandchildren.

I think that's 99 related people

(if I'm not missing anyone)!!!!!

and this was a great party to celebrate 97 years!!

It was a great party: family galore visiting, an Alis Chalmers tractor cake, Neapolitan ice cream, candles, the whole works. And Grandpa Frank is one warm, happy, funny, caring person. I asked him what he wished when he blew out his candles, and he said the only thing missing was that his friend wasn’t still here. It brought tears to my eyes…his friend being Grandma Ruth (she has been gone a little over a year, she was 95). They were married 67 years I think. They still held hands and kissed each other every morning and every evening. Then Grandpa told me he “couldn’t believe he had that much family..look at all of them, and they were all related to him!”

Here are

some of

the folks

that gathered

that day...

some came earlier,

some came later...

(That's Grandpa in the white shirt in the middle).

I would like to promise myself that I will stay a warm, caring, happy person as I age. And you are my witnesses. You have to promise that you’ll call me on it if I’m not. And hopefully, I’ll still be “with it” when I’m 97!