3 children, 7 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren: the family built over 80 years

‘Three children. Seven grandchildren. Twenty-one great-grandchildren. One great-great-grandchild. A living legacy stretching across generations.’ That is how the grandson of John and Jerry Carroll described the family his grandparents built over 80 years of marriage, in a Facebook tribute posted on their anniversary.

The Tennessee couple, who celebrated their wedding anniversary in April and Jerry’s 100th birthday in June, are also known locally for a decades-long Friday tradition: visiting their local McDonald’s in Murfreesboro and ordering the same dishes each time. ‘For breakfast, we usually eat the Egg McMuffin with sausage,’ John, a World War II veteran, told local news outlet NewsChannel5, adding tomato slices to make it ‘his special order.’

Their grandson, also named John Carroll, wrote: ‘John S. Carroll and Gerald Lena “Jerry” Carroll had no idea their marriage would span eight decades — through cultural revolutions, technological transformation, and generations of family.’ He added that their legacy included community service, church involvement and civic leadership.

During their anniversary celebration, employees at the McDonald’s outlet customised the restaurant’s golden arches signage to read ‘Congratulations to the Carrolls 80 years and counting.’

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by Famartin