A Jefferson County woman’s family just keeps expanding.
Elenora Biermann, 95, will welcome her 100th grandchild or great-grandchild next month when one of her 38 grandchildren has her 62nd great-grandchild.
Two more great-grandchildren are on the way after that, and Elenora’s first great-great-grandchild also is on the way.
“I never expected (my family) to grow this much,” said Elenora, who has lived just south of Arnold for the past 20 years after living in Hillsboro for 20 years. “My mom and dad were married 82 years and had 172 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. I guess I am keeping up with them.”
Elenora’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren range in age from 3 months to 47 years old.
Elenora Biermann, center right, and her children, from left, Ellie McCarthy, Bill Biermann and Helen Greaves, hold up an expandable sign that lists nearly every name and birthday of Elenora’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Unfortunately, Elenora said, she has never been with all 99 of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the same time, but that may soon change.
“We have been talking about trying to get all 100 together this summer,” her son, Bill Biermann of Barnhart said.
Elenora said the closest she has come to being with all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the same time was when one of her daughters threw a party marking Elenora’s 90th birthday.
She said about 70 of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were at that party, and she would love a chance to get together with the entire family.
“That would be wonderful,” Elenora said. “We would probably have to notify everyone well ahead of time.”
Family tree
Elenora said she was born in south St. Louis to the late Amelia and George Limpert, adding that her mother lived to 104 and her father to 102.
She is one of 10 children, and while her five brothers are deceased, her four sisters, including her twin sister, Evelyn Barnes, 95, of Affton, are still alive.
Evelyn has 25 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Elenora and her twin were born Oct. 3, 1928.
“My twin sister and I were born during the Depression,” she said. “We had it kind of hard. We were kind of poor. My dad would paint fences for a quarter, just to get a meal on the table.”
Elenora said even though money was tight, her family always had good meals, and her father raised their home and dug a basement under it to provide more room for the family.
“He was a hard worker,” she said. “My sisters and I helped him because my brothers were in the service. We would mix cement for him.”
Elenora said she was married to her late husband, Ted Biermann, for 50 years. He died from cancer about four months after their 50th anniversary in 2000.
The couple had eight children and most of Elenora’s children live in the St. Louis area. Ellie McCarthy of Hillsboro is their oldest, followed by Chris Jacoby of St. Louis; Ted Biermann of Dupo, Ill.; Fred Biermann of St. Louis; Carolyn Rund of Lake St. Louis; Bill; Helen Greaves of Arnold; and Theresa Roberts, who lives next door to Elenora.
“(Theresa) takes care of a lot of things for me,” said Elenora, who lives with her 10-year-old dog, Theodore.
Helen, who has six children and 12 grandchildren, said the family looks up to her mother, adding that she is happy her children and grandchildren get to spend time with Elenora.
“It is great to watch your mom interacting with your grandkids,” Helen said. “You realize there is still a lot that you can learn.”
Elenora’s children marvel at their mother’s ability to connect with their children and grandchildren, including knowing everyone’s names.
“She has a great memory,” Bill said.
Elenora said one of her grandsons gave her a gift that helps her remember all those names.
Her grandson created a sign that can be expanded with the names and birthdays for each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The words “Granny’s gang” is painted on the sign, with every month listed below. The grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s name (and their birth dates) are included on discs that hang below the month they were born. The two busiest birthday months are July with 19 and January with 18.
“I used to give presents to everyone on Christmas, but I stopped doing that last year,” Elenora said. “I send birthday cards now. Some months, I send 15 or 20 cards, and other months are only six or eight.”
Elenora said her grandchildren and great-grandchildren keep in touch.
“My grandchildren and great-grandchildren will send me pictures they colored,” she said. “They call me. I get letters from some of my grandkids from out of town.”
Some also reach out through Facebook, she said.
Bill said it is fantastic to see his mother interact with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“All of the kids really look forward to seeing her,” he said.
Secret to a long life
Elenora said her parents set a good example for her growing up.
“I had wonderful parents,” she said. “They never drank or smoked, so I never did. There was 10 in my family. We did not smoke or drink.”
Ellie said she believes her mother’s faith also has contributed to her longevity.
“She is a prayer warrior,” Ellie said. “I think she is still here because she prays and is faithful.”
Elenora, a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Imperial, said she uses her home’s prayer room to pray daily, adding that she says the Rosary every night.
She said she prays for her family members, those who are sick, world leaders and anyone else she thinks may need help.
“I think she is here for the prayers,” Helen said. “She has a jar of prayer requests, and when they are answered, she puts them in a different box. When my son had a friend whose baby had something wrong, he said, ‘As soon as I found out, the first thing I did was call Grandma. I knew she would start praying right away.’”
Helen said Elenora’s love for her family also is a key to her mother’s long life.
“Now that she is 95, I honestly think she is going to make it to 105,” Helen said. “She is strong. She has a will to live. She wants to be around her family. She loves her family. They mean everything in the world to her.
“She is the person we all look up to.”