Leo and Ruth Zanger of Western Illinois are doting grandparents to not one, not two, but a hundred grandkids! The historic milestone was attained upon the birth of their 46th great-grandchild, Jaxton Leo, son of their grandson Austin and his wife Ashleigh.
Despite their large family size, the Zangers are family-oriented and exceedingly close. The majority of them live in Quincy, Illinois, and they frequently get together for important events.
A collage of the family!! All 100 grand kids in the individual photos surrounding Ruth & I with the twelve children and their spouses in the center. Second photo includes each individual family.
Posted by Leo Zanger on Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Every time the family gathers, they must rent a church hall to accommodate everyone. It normally entails purchasing 10 turkeys or fifty pounds of ham!
With the amount of meetings they hold in a year, the Zangers have established a schedule for who is in charge of supplies for specific gatherings. Everybody takes turns providing their meals, which sometimes involves competing to outdo each other on the feasts they create.
Ruth and Leo have had several kids and grandkids during their marriage. Almost 60 years later, the couple welcomed the birth of their 100th grandchild, which they joked was enough to establish their own village!
When asked about his large family, the pleased grandfather said that the good Lord simply kept sending them. There’s always space for one more, Leo’s wife Ruth said when asked if they intend to have more grandkids in the future.
Between 1956 and 1984, the Zangers were married for 59 years and had kids. Linda, their eldest daughter, is now 58, and Joe, their youngest son, is 31. Joe was an uncle 10 times over by the time he was born in 1984!
Jeannine, Joe’s eldest niece, was born in 1975 to Linda and her husband Kenny Hardin. She and nine of her other cousins are older than Uncle Joe, which makes it simple for them to get along due to their similar ages.
Greg, Debbie, David, Donna, Steve, Mike, Daniel, Ernie, Matt, and Chuck are siblings that live between Linda and Joe. They are all responsible for Leo’s company, Zanger and Associates, continuing to thrive.
Donna, one of Leo and Ruth’s kids, offered to become their family’s unofficial historian, keeping track of all the major details and events surrounding their family, from weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries, to phone numbers, in order to keep up with their increasing family.
Donna frequently regards her work as the unofficial historian as a labor of passion. It’s a lot to keep track of, but she’ll keep doing it for the sake of their family. Donna is also in charge of informing everybody when they get together.
It might be difficult for people who marry into the family to get to know all and remember everyone’s names. While it may take some time, it is undeniably a nice experience that the couples acclimated to in some manner.
Ashleigh, who married into the family and had Jaxton unaware he was the 100th grandchild, says she feels “a bit extra special.” Donna and her husband Austin’s mother Kelly didn’t figure it out until she was three months pregnant.
From the outside, it may be easy to overlook such a milestone, particular with such a large family. Austin, on the other hand, is pleased with how close his entire family is. They spend a lot of time together and are always willing to assist each other when there is an issue.
While many of Ruth and Leo’s children work in the family company, Austin’s father and Jaxton’s grandpa, Daniel Zanger, claims that there’s a Zanger in just about every area. They are a highly busy family, yet this does not prevent them from being close.
Daniel remembers that growing up in their huge family was never boring, and that it was a lot of fun. Leo and Ruth now seek to foster the same feeling of belonging in their grandkids and great-grandchildren.
Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, the vast clan gathers, as do many other families. They do, though, make an effort to commemorate other significant occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Even with their 100th grandchild joining the crew, the Zanger tie remains strong, owing to Leo and Ruth’s determination to keep the family together with the support of their kids.
