> At a Glance
> – Wilma Cagle and Welthy Senn celebrated their 100th birthday in November
> – The sisters have dementia yet always know where the other is
> – They share a bedroom and often climb into the same bed
> – Why it matters: Their unbreakable bond may be the secret to a century of life
Born minutes apart, Wilma Cagle and Welthy Senn have spent every night under the same roof for nearly all of their 100 years. In November, the identical twins from Greenville, South Carolina, officially became centenarians, and their daily rituals-matching outfits, shared meals, and sunset hours on the sun porch-remain unchanged.
A Century of Togetherness
Even as dementia clouds their long-term memories, the pair orient themselves around each other.
Rebecca Hamby, Welthy’s 76-year-old daughter, says:
> “They don’t remember much beyond the present, but they always know where the other one is.”
Nighttime offers the clearest proof: two beds sit a few feet apart in their shared room, yet the sisters still sometimes wake up side-by-side, just as they did after Welthy’s husband died in 1979.
Eight Children, One Set of Parents
Between them, the twins raised eight children-Wilma has three, Welthy has five-who now coordinate a rotating care schedule. Most live nearby and oversee everything from medications (only blood-pressure pills for both) to daily meals eaten with undiminished enthusiasm.
Family members note that if one twin falls ill, the other grows restless, hovering and asking after her sister until both are calm again.
The Birthday That Sealed It
More than 140 relatives gathered last November to honor the twins. When Wilma’s daughter once tried to take her to a concert Welthy couldn’t attend, the outing was quietly canceled.
Wilma simply stated:
> “I never said I would go anywhere without my sister.”
Key Takeaways
- Wilma and Welthy turned 100 in November and still dress alike every day
- Despite dementia, each always senses the other’s location
- A 2016 University of Washington study found identical twins often outlive the general population, a benefit the family sees firsthand
- Their children believe the twins’ mutual reliance has “kept each other alive”
As the family likes to say, when one sister goes, the other likely won’t be far behind-a testament to a bond that has spanned a full century.
