Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
All five generations of happy Gray family
Meet six of the best – the members of Coatbridge’s remarkable Gray family which spans FIVE generations and ranges in age from seven months to nine decades.
Pictured front and centre is bouncing newest arrival Oliver Gray, along with his four-year-old brother Liam – and their dad David, grandad Jim, great-gran Rena and great-greatgrandmother Mary Henvey.
The lucky youngsters have not one but two great-great-grans to dote on them as Jim’s paternal grandmother, Cathy Gray, is also still showering them with affection aged in her 90s; as well as two great- grans in both Townhead resident Rena and Janette Mathieson, the mum of their maternal gran Sandra.
St Bartholomew’s Primary pupil Liam had even had three members of the fifth generation at the top of the family tree on hand when he was born; he was also able to meet greatgreat-grandfather Tommy Henvey, who passed away only this year, just months before Oliver was born.
Family members took the chance to capture their unique photo while welcoming relatives arriving from England to visit Rena – who is Mary’s daughter, Jim’s mum and David’s gran.
Townhead resident David, 27, told the Advertiser: “Oliver’s arrival is the third time we’ve had five generations in the family – Liam had three greatgrandparents when he was born, and there were also five generations of parents and grandparents in the family when I was born too.
“We all try to see each other and get together as much as we can and it’s really busy when everyone is in one place! For there to be five generations around in the family is unreal.
“Sometimes when I talk to my greatgrans it’s amazing to see how much things have changed – things like when they were new mums, babies would be moving on to eat proper food after eight weeks.