DEIS FAMILY NOTES
JOHN AND LILLIAN DEIS HAD 5 CHILDREN:
Barbara Ann (Barb) - Born 2-17-1929
John James (Johnny) Born 8-16-1930
Patricia Mae (Pat, Patty) Born 7-25-1933
William Anthony (Bill, Billy) Born 6-15-1937
James Nickolas (Jim, Jimmy) Born 6-4-1944
Jim’s twin brother was dead at birth.
They spread out having their children over 15 years. This has resulted
in an unusually large spread in the ages of their grandchildren.
3RD GENERATION:
John and Lillian have 22 grandchildren. 16 of their grandchildren are
living. Kevin Christensen and Gary Christensen passed away as adults,
and four grandchildren died as babies, one to two days after birth. One
was born to John and Phyllis and three to Pat and Ferris.
The oldest Grandchild was born in 1950 (John James Deis, Jr.), and
turned 64 on 6/6/2014. And the youngest Grandchild was born in 1975
(Anton, “Tony” Deis) and he will be 39 on 8/6/2014. A spread of 25
years!
4TH GENERATION:
John and Lillian have 31 great grandchildren. The oldest is Robert
Christensen (Kevin and Roses oldest son), who was born 4/17/1973,
two years before the youngest grandchild was born in 1975. The
youngest great grandchild to date is Alexander Shaw, born to Melissa
and Andy Shaw on May 29, 2014 and who is one day old. We do not
know at this time if the youngest grand children are done having babies
yet, and so we do know the spread for the 4rd generation (great
grandchildren) will be at least 41 years, and could possibly be even
more.
5TH GENERATION:
John and Lillian to date have 24 great-great grandchildren. The oldest is
Justin Christensen (Robert and Nicole Christensen’s oldest son), born
5/18/1994 and who just turned 20. At this time the youngest greatgreat grandchild is, Ruby Brost, (Pat and Celina Brost’s third child), born
11/9/13. Since some of the 4th generation (great grandchildren) have
just been recently born and there may be more still to be born, and it
could be 20 years or more, before the youngest great grandchildren
have children, it is hard to hazard a guess at what the spread in ages
might be for the 5th generation (great-great grandchildren). It could be
over 50 years and possibly over 60 years.
With the combination of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and greatgreat grandchildren, John and Lillian have 77 grand children, and due to
John and Lillian spreading their children 15 years apart and some of
their grand children waiting longer to marry and have children, each
generation has a sizable spread in ages between the oldest and youngest
for each generation.
When John and Lillian married on May 23,1928, I know they planned to
start a family, and looked forward to their future. But I wonder if at any
time if they had any idea that 86 years later the future they envisioned
and created for their family would grow and expand into a family of 5
children, 77 Grandchildren, and with spouses grow into a family of 119,
with 108 living today. They were always planning and hoping for the
future and encouraging their family to do so also, but I am not sure if
they ever imagined that the future they were building would grow to the
point it is today, and is still growing more and more. As I look at our 4th
and 5th generations I see a very positive future, and somewhere John
and Lillian, Barbara and Jack, Bill, Pat and Ferris, Kevin, and Gary, are
watching their family grow and are very proud of how far we have come
and where we will go in the future. I know they see as I do the many
important and wonderful things my parents taught my brothers and
sisters and myself , were passed on by my siblings and myself to our
children, and today are being passed on by each generation. John and
Lillian have given us a special heritage that has been passed down
through our family and we are all the richer for it. For those who did not
know them, I cannot in the written and spoken word, explain to you
what you have missed out on. Their lives revolved around loving all
their family, children, grandkids, their spouses, and all who they cared
for. They were there when needed and generous to a fault. They seized
every possible opportunity to gather every single member of their
family together in one place, because they wanted all of their family to
know each other and be close.
DEIS FAMILY NOTES #2
JOHN AND LILLIAN’S DESCENDANTS (THE NUMBERS):
5 children – 20 are living and 2 spouses are living
22 – Grandchildren – 16 are living
31 – Great Grandchildren
24 – Great-Great Grandchildren
77 – Total Grandchildren
- 6 - Deceased
71 – Living Grandchildren
Total descendants of John and Lillian, Plus spouses:
Children and Grandchildren:
5 Children
77 Grandchildren
Including spouses:
9
110
82 Total Descendants
119 Descendants & spouses
Living Descendants:
2 children
71 Grandchildren
Including Spouses:
4
104
73 Living Descendants
108 living Desc, & spouses
If we all got together today it would be a small group of 108
descendants and souses.