‘WE’RE A TWINSPIRATION!’
Dot and Daisy talk to each other on the phone every day… even at 96!
When Dot Jack picks up the phone and dials, she often gets the engaged tone. But that’s not unusual. It’s normally because her 96-year old identical twin sister Daisy has picked up the phone to ring her at the exact same moment!
The sprightly pair still chat on the phone at least once a day. And despite their age, Dot and Daisy both live independently and, even as they approach their 100th year, they travel the 40 minutes to visit each other once a week, too.
“We’re best friends. We love to be together and chat together and do the same things,” Dot tells Woman’s Day. “We’ve always been very close and people still struggle to tell us apart – we love being identical twins.”
Dot and Daisy have lived inseparable lives since they were born in Ireland in 1923. They even married a pair of cousins, both called William Jack, so they’ve kept the same surname.
The still mischievous pair chuckle as they remember the tricks they used to play as teenagers. At parties they’d swap places with each other to confuse the boys and, even in adulthood, they enjoyed creating confusion among strangers as to who was who.
“They’re the mirror image of each other,” says Dot’s daughter Sharon, 62. “People would say they’d seen my mother out with a mysterious man but actually it was Aunty Daisy and Uncle Bill! They’ve always had a sense of humour and enjoyed having a laugh.”
Choosing to marry on the same day in 1953, Dot’s husband died six years later from leukaemia while Daisy’s husband died more recently in 2017.
Between them they have seven children, 16 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren – and are now UK’S oldest set of identical twins.
To this day, the dynamic duo enjoy a glass of sherry together and credit their healthy lifestyles and strong faith for their longevity.
“They’re remarkably positive and never lost their sense of humour,” says Sharon.
“Even at the age of 96 they’ll sit down and have a laugh about life and a cup of tea with you.”