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AUBURN, Mass. – An average family has three generations living at one time – grandparents, parents and kids. It’s lucky to have four generations, including a great-grandparent. Five generations is rare. But six? Not possible, right!
Well, Rose Marie Hourihan, a 96-year-old resident of the Life Care Center of Auburn, was surrounded by five generations of descendants Wednesday. It was the first time that all six generations of the Hourihan family had been in the same room.
“Everybody keeps correcting us, saying that it must be five generations. Nobody believes there are six generations,” said Suzanne O’Leary, the third generation. “I think it’s phenomenal that my grandmother is still alive to appreciate all of this.”
Hourihan married Daniel Joseph Hourihan in June of 1933 and had seven children. She now has 27 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, 30 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandchild, who is turning 1 this weekend. Add it all up, and Hourihan has 115 descendants.
“It’s good genes from my mom,” said Connie Murphy, one of Hourihan’s children. “We have good French and Irish genes.”
The family members who attended Wednesday's get-together included RoseAnn Beland, Hourihan’s daughter; Suzanne O’Leary, Beland’s daughter; Lisa O’Leary, Suzanne’s daughter; Cheristy Robinson, Lisa’s niece; and Sophia Marie Koch, Robinson’s baby.
“I’m glad to see them here,” Hourihan said. “I could have never imagined that I’d have so many.”
Hourihan, who has been in the Life Care Center for five years, previously lived in Uxbridge and Milford. She raised her kids in Uxbridge, but now her descendants are spread across many states.
“We’re happy she’s still a part of our life,” Murphy said. “She’s doing really well, and she likes it here [at the Life Care Center]. She calls it her home.”
Carrie Cross, who does marketing at the Life Care Center, said it was the first time the center has hosted six generations of one family in her time there.
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