Morris family tree has six living generations' worth of branches

MORRIS – When Armanette Fannin was born 93 years ago, she had no idea her legacy would reach nearly 160 people by the year 2017.

When Rosalie Maurriquez was born two weeks ago, she became the sixth generation of a large but tight-knit family.

“After I had my first child, I was worried I couldn’t love another child enough,” Fannin said. “My grandmother said, ‘If you have one or 100, you love them all.’”

She said her grandmother was right about that. Fannin and her late husband, Kermit Fannin, were born in Kentucky and moved to Illinois in 1941.

Once he went off to serve his country, she moved back to Kentucky for a few years before Kermit returned from war and they settled in Morris for good in 1949.

Some of the family members gathered recently to have photographs taken, especially the six generations that include Armanette and Kermit’s daughter, Sue Murphy; Murphy’s son, Keith Murphy; Keith Murphy’s daughter, Danielle Serna; Serna’s daughter, Julia Serna; and her young daughter, Rosalie.

When asked how many people fill the branches of the Armanette and Kermit Fannin tree, no one could decide on what that number should be.

A day later, Tammy Alvarez, Armanette and Kermit’s daughter, said after each child added up their spouses, grandchildren and their spouses, great-grandchildren and their spouses, great-great-grandchildren, and now the great-great-great-granddaughter, the number totaled 160.

Armanette said that they all should be included, whether they were spouses, step-children or half-children, because in her heart she loves them all the same.