98-Year-Old Meets Her First Great-Great-Great-Grandchild in Heartwarming Family Moment
In a touching reunion earlier this year, 98-year-old Kentucky matriarch MaeDell Taylor Hawkins held her first great-great-great-grandchild, seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker. The moment, captured in a viral photo, features six generations of women from MaeDell’s family — a remarkable legacy of love, strength, and perseverance.
MaeDell, who turns 99 in July, is the proud matriarch of a massive family with over 620 descendants, including 106 grandchildren and dozens of great-, great-great-, and now great-great-great-grandchildren.
Her story began humbly at age 16 when she married a 50-year-old widower with 10 children. Despite having no running water or modern appliances, MaeDell never complained. She went on to raise 13 children, becoming a pillar of resilience and love in her family.
Now, her legacy continues to flourish. The Hawkins family plans another reunion this June to celebrate their growing lineage — and to honor the woman at the heart of it all.
