Marguerite Theresa Koller is 99 years old and—amazingly—has 100 (that’s right: one hundred!) great-grandchildren. The one hundredth (a boy) was born recently and has left her family ecstatic.
Peggy, as the matriarch likes to be called, told NBC that it’s an immense joy to see the house full of children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She and her husband, who died in 2008, had 11 children and 56 grandchildren.
All this, however, would not have been possible without a difficult decision Koller made when she was still young.
Discovering her vocation
Koller says that when she was young she wanted to become a nun. She was even accepted into a convent in Philadelphia. However, she told ABC on an earlier occasion, she met her boyfriend William and discovered that her vocation was really for marriage and family.
She then accepted God’s call, gave up the dream of the convent, and got married.
In the television interview, Koller explained that she wanted to start a large family because she’s an only child and felt very lonely during her own childhood.
“I figured I wanted 12 but after I started to have them, I wasn’t sure I wanted that many,” she told ABC News with a laugh.
Family, the greatest gift
But, she makes it clear: she has no regrets about raising this beautiful, big family.
About to turn 100 years old, Marguerite believes that her family battalion will continue to grow, which for her is a great gift. “I’m just thinking about how lucky I am,” she told the TV network.
And today we celebrate...