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Four sisters born and raised on a farm near Burstall have earned a Guinness World Record for their remarkable combined age of more than 392 years.
Anne Janke, Elsie Kirschenman, Viola Jassman and Idella Ehnisz (the Roth sisters) were officially verified by Guinness World Records on July 17, with a combined age of 392 years and 147 days — the highest combined age of four living siblings.
At the time of the family’s recent photos, Anne was 103 years old, Elsie was 100, Viola was 98 and Idella was 90.
Three of the sisters currently live in Medicine Hat, Alta., while Anne, the eldest, lives in Calgary.
Long before the four sisters were setting longevity records, their story began on a family farm near Burstall in southwest Saskatchewan.
The sisters grew up together in rural Saskatchewan before eventually building lives of their own, but their close bond has continued through the decades.
That lifelong connection was at the heart of the family’s decision to pursue the Guinness World Records title.
According to Guinness World Records, the sisters attempted the record as a way to celebrate their longevity, health and the enduring bond they have maintained throughout their lives.
The record was verified in Airdrie, Alta.
Together, the four sisters have lived through almost four centuries of history.
Their combined 392 years span generations of changes in agriculture, transportation, technology and everyday life — from their childhood on a Saskatchewan farm to the modern communities where they live today.
While each sister has followed her own path over the years, they have continued to share a connection rooted in their family and their Saskatchewan upbringing.
For the sisters, reaching the record is as much about family as it is about the number itself.
Their achievement now places four women with roots near Burstall into the Guinness World Records book — a milestone built over more than 100 years of memories, family and time spent together.
