World's oldest male triplets celebrate 93rd birthday, with a hint of sadness
The world's oldest living male triplets have celebrated their 93rd birthday.
Larry Alden Brown, Lon Bernard Brown and Gene Carol Brown were born on December 1, 1930. The celebration was marked with a hint of sadness as the trio were not able to celebrate together, with one of them no longer able to travel.
They last got together on their 92nd birthday, where they spent the day with their families. “We were able to all get together last year for our 92nd birthday with our families and really enjoyed our time together,” said Larry. “This was the last time the three of us were together.”
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They came as a surprise to their parents who already had four children (guinnessworldrecords)Larry explained that Gene who lives in Oklahoma isn't doing well at the moment and couldn't leave his home state so the triplets celebrated separately, the Guinness World Records reports. The brothers have maintained a close bond over the years and have always made the effort to bring their families together whenever they could.
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The brothers were born during the Great Depression in Kalvesta, Kansas. Larry was born first, followed by Lon and Gene. They were younger siblings to three older brothers and one sister who have all sadly passed away.
The triplets liked to dress the same as children (guinnessworldrecords)
They arrived later in their parent's life as a "BIG" surprise (guinnessworldrecords)“All were quite a bit older than we were as we were a late in life BIG surprise to our parents,” said Larry. They grew up near Nevada, Missouri, with their family from the age of seven until shortly after high school.
Like many brothers, Larry explained the three shared many disagreements but it was great being a triplet as they always had someone to play with. He said they aren't just brothers, they are friends.
They loved to play basketball together and Gene and Lon got into boxing matches. “I didn’t care for getting hit in the face, so I didn’t do much of that," Larry said.
They grew up on a farm which Larry said had a lot of timber and two creeks. He remembers how he they would trap and sell furs with his brothers there. A friend gifted the brothers a rifle and they began to trap opossums, skunks, squirrels, rabbits and muskrats.
The boys pictured with their mother (guinnessworldrecords)
They wore the same outfits well into their teenage years (guinnessworldrecords)The brothers also bonded over a pet dog, White Jeggs. Larry said: "We loved Jeggs, he survived some pretty tough times." Sadly the dog disappeared during a storm when the triplets lived in Missouri.
"We thought he was gone for good. Several months later, a neighbour was in town getting gas during a thunderstorm and Jeggs jumped in his car. He recognized that it was our dog and brought him home.”
At around the WWII, the triplets had been spending a lot of time at their eldest brother's home near Garden City in Kansas, so they could work through the summer. They would rotate - with two triplets going out at a time, and one staying home each summer to help with chores. While they were there, they sold gas to farmers and local traffic from the highway.
Larry recalled: “I delivered gasoline to farmers by myself at 11 and 12 years old. That was scary for me. I was afraid I would get lost or the Highway Patrol would stop me.” They also sold pop, oil and grease at the station and slept in the basement of a small house with his brothers which served as part of the service station.
They had a friend in each other (guinnessworldrecords)“We made enough money to buy all our clothes, schoolbooks, and supplies to get us through school,” said Larry. All three brothers signed up to the Air Force when the Korean War began in 1950. Lon and Gene were accepted by Larry was not as he had asthma.
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Lon went on to become a baptist minister and even performed Larry and Gene's weddings. Gene went on to become an electrical engineer and Larry worked at Boeing Company and General Motors before his retirement.
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The three have a brood of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren between them. Larry has three children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Lon has four children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Gene has two children, six grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
Lon became a baptist minister and performed Larry and Gene's weddings (guinnessworldrecords)Larry and Lon live in the senior living community Foxwood Springs in Raymore, Missouri, while Gene lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. They never thought they would break a record title, but Larry says they are glad they could make it long enough to do so.
He says the secret to their long lives is avoiding smoking, drinking and drugs. “We always had each other as friends as well as brothers and we were always each other’s protectors,” said Larry.
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