LIVERMORE, Calif. — Long before ultrasounds revealed the secrets of the womb, a delivery room surprise in Hawaii on April 8, 1926, launched an extraordinary century-long journey for twin siblings Jane Southwick and Bill Abbott.
Born to Royal and Loreen Abbott, Jane arrived first, only to shock everyone when her brother Bill followed moments later. Transported shortly after birth in cabin drawers serving as makeshift cribs on a journey to New York, the siblings have spent the last 10 decades navigating historic eras, surviving personal health battles, and building vast family legacies.
Today, the centenarians reside just one town apart in the San Francisco Bay Area—Jane in Livermore and Bill in Pleasanton. Despite weathering hurdles like cancer and heart conditions, the duo maintains a youthful outlook, noting with a shared laugh, “We’re still kids.”
A Legacy of Longevity
Genetics undoubtedly played a pivotal role in their milestone birthdays. Their parents both lived well into their mid-90s, and their older brother, Richard, passed away last year just a month shy of his 103rd birthday.
That remarkable family stamina has fostered decades of bustling gatherings filled with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
“One of the nice things about having parents living so long is that we were able to spend a lot of time together,” Southwick reflects. “We were able to share a lot of family stories.”
Those stories run deep. Southwick’s mother introduced her to her late husband, Ernie, in the 1940s after a bus strike prompted a fateful car ride in his Studebaker. The couple raised five children and shared decades together until Ernie’s passing in 1995. Southwick later pursued a degree in child development, taught in nursery schools, and even authored a 2012 book about her Civil War–era great-grandfather.
Bill’s path led him to serve aboard the battleship USS California during World War II, followed by three decades flying patrol planes in the Navy Reserve and a career as an AT&T engineer. Following the 2005 passing of his wife of 55 years, Patricia, Bill joined his twin and late brother Richard for a final series of globe-trotting adventures, capping off decades of travel with a pre-pandemic Western parks tour featuring a Grand Canyon helicopter ride.
The Secret to Reaching 100
While modern medicine has played its part—including stents for Bill and a doctor’s praise for Jane’s remarkably resilient cardiovascular health—the family points primarily to lifestyle and tight-knit support systems.
Raised during Prohibition by parents who neither smoked nor drank, the twins carried forward healthy habits. Though Southwick briefly smoked in her younger years, Bill famously abstained, joking about a post-boot-camp half-beer that nearly put him to sleep.
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Today, daily support comes largely from Southwick’s daughter, Nancy, who moved in as a primary caregiver in 2005 and assists both mother and uncle with appointments and daily errands.
For the Abbott family, reaching 100 isn’t just about avoiding illness; it is about resilience, staying active, and cherishing the bonds of a remarkably long-lived family tree.
