Jennifer Rachel Spencer: 100 Years

Rolf Morral is 100 years old, and the living definition of a patriarch. Over the past few months I've started the process of gathering images and audio to try and tell part of this amazing man's story. I do not remember the first time I met Rolf, because I've known him my entire life. For as long as I've known him, he has lived in the house next to my grandmother's in Upper Arlington. My mother remembers his wife, Lily as her "second mother" as the children of both households basically grew up as part of both households. I've been blessed to have grown up as a pseudo-grandchild in this amazing family. Rolf has been able to keep close family ties spanning not only several generations, but also spanning several continents. He was born in Spain, and Lily was born in Sweden, so he has family scattered around the globe. In a time when the nuclear family is the norm in America, and usually families only (sometimes even begrudgingly) get together on holidays, the Morrals show a completely different family life. They get together, often, sometimes for no reason at all other than to talk and get a quick bite to eat. And its not just a few of people, since much of the family now lives in and around Columbus, it is fairly common to see them eating breakfast together at First Watch, or going out for tapas (Spanish appetizers) at Rolf's favorite restaurant Maca. I can only begin to scratch the surface of Rolf's story here, but I just wanted to share some of his story. I think the two things that amaze me the most about Rolf are his ability to keep his huge family so connected and devoted to each other, and his physical and mental vibrancy even at the age of 100. At a point in my life where my grandmother is beginning to show the early signs of Alzheimer’s, being able to listen to Rolf tell stories about skiing in the Alps as a teenager is stunning to me.