Wife of Last Sibling of World's First Surviving Male Quadruplets Remembers Him as ‘Wonderful Family Man' (Exclusive)
Carl Vincent Perricone Sr., the last surviving brother of a history-making set of quadruplets, died on June 2
Anne, his wife of 58 years, remembered the father of six as 'a wonderful family man'
Carl would still ride on his lawnmower at the age of 95 and enjoy quality time with his wife on their porchThe wife of Carl Vincent Perricone Sr., the last surviving sibling of a history-making set of quadruplets who recently died, is cherishing her memories with him.
'He was a wonderful family man,' Anne Perricone, 77, exclusively tells PEOPLE of Carl, who died on June 2 at the age of 95.
Anne said their journey began when he was a father of five and a widower at 27 after his first wife tragically died following rheumatic fever. They met when she lived across the street and cared for his children.
'I babysat the children and fell in love with the children and him,' Anne says.
They would go on to marry, have a daughter, and remain committed to each other for 58 years. They would have celebrated their 59th anniversary in August, most likely partaking in a familiar pastime.
'Oh gosh. He always brought me out there, glass of wine to have an afternoon on the porch,' she says.
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Five years ago, Anne says she and Carl moved to their daughter's home, and the longtime couple 'enjoyed sitting out here watching the birds. He loved watching the birds. He has a bird feeder out there watching the birds and the animals.'
His valor as a father and husband also extended to his service to his country alongside his brothers Anthony, Bernard, and Donald Perricone, affectionately known as the Alphabet Quads. They were born in Beaumont, Texas, on Halloween in 1929 to Maria Concetta "Bessie" Mazzu and Philip 'Filippo' Perricone. They were the first surviving male quadruplets in the world, according to the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
Their births made headlines, and so did their decision to be drafted into the Army in 1950 during the Korean War.
The mother of the quads contacted then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson with the insistence, ' 'You can't just take one of my boys. They've always been together,' ' Anna says.
The brothers ultimately served in the same unit.
'He was proud of his service,' she says, continuing that he also served in the Air Force.
Upon returning home in 1953, the brothers worked together at Pure Oil Refinery before Anthony decided to become a barber. Carl and his two brothers remained at the company until retirement, according to the museum. The quadruplets eventually bought a parcel of land in their hometown and dubbed the private road Quad Lane, where their descendants still live.
In 2010, Carl represented himself, his brothers and his country at a ceremony in South Korea commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, per the museum.
Despite his strong bond with his brothers, Carl did not always want to be associated with being part of the famed quad.
'They were so publicly displayed for so long. He got tired of all that. He did grant an interview probably about seven years ago after Donald died. Yeah, it's been longer than that, my daughter said. But anyway, we kind of just backed away from it,' she recalls, but he ultimately granted an interview with The Beaumont Enterprise in 2013.
She continues, 'We all sat down with the people in the living room and he just told them about missing his brothers.'
The news of his death led to an outpouring of condolences, but Anne says that he was 'very healthy,' and that 'no one could believe' he was 95.
'He would walk out here and go ride his lawnmower and cut grass and he was very healthy. But in the last few months, I guess I'd say he took a couple stumbles up here. He didn't break anything or he hit his head on the porch one time, but he was pretty stable with his feet,' she says.
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Carl's obituary said that he "enjoyed country life in his final years, watching wildlife and smoking his pipe, and Anne added that their last days together were spent "together up here in the peace.'
In addition to Anne, Carl is also survived by his six children and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Read the original article on People

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