Kansas woman celebrates 100th birthday with her two older sisters who are 102 and 104

As we grow older, we often lose touch with many who meant a lot to us at some point in our lives. A few lucky ones get to spend their entire lives with their loved ones and in that respect, Frances Kompus is exceptionally fortunate. The Kansas woman celebrated her 100th birthday on November 11 and celebrating the milestone with her were Kompus' elder sisters—and fellow centenarians—Julia Kopriva and Lucy Pochop. According to KSNW, the oldest of the three sisters is 104-year-old Kopriva who was born on November 5, 1917. Pochop, 102, is next in line as she was born on June 11, 1919.

The three sisters, who are now mothers and grandmothers, grew up on a farm in the small town of Beardsley, Kansas, after their grandparents immigrated from Czechoslovakia and became farmers in Rawlins County. "I just remember how we used to walk to school," Pochop said in an interview last month. "It was about a mile and three-quarters. It was a long walk." Meanwhile, Kopriva remembers how they used to walk the farm fields helping their father tend to the crops. "What I remember well is my father didn't have modern tractors. We took gas, gasoline out in the field in 5-gallon buckets," she said.

"We'd cross the pasture, we would walk, and then on the way back, we would stop at the creek and catch frogs, put them in our pockets," Kompus chimed in. As the youngest of the three, Kompus has always had companionship. According to USA Today, she recalled having to "run to keep up with her sisters" on the 2-mile walk to school. "I always did what they did," she said. "Sometimes that was working and sometimes that was fun." She also has fond memories of eating "good home food" on their farm, which is about 9 miles from Atwood.

Even when times were tough, such as during the Great Depression, their mother would cook chicken and serve meals of dried beans, Kompus said. She credits eating well as one of the reasons behind the long lives she and her sisters have been blessed with. She also added it was important to be social, walk a lot and, simply, "Keep going." Sharing some advice for younger generations, Kopriva said: "I think faith comes first and thank your parents, grandparents." As for how they managed to live past the century mark, she added: "We eat well, right? And pray and try to stay out of mischief."

Kompus' daughter Fran Allacher, who lives in nearby McCook, Nebraska, revealed that her mom and aunts have always been close. Their bond became deeper as each of the sisters became widows and moved into adjoining apartments in Atwood. After Pochop moved into an apartment next to Kopriva in 2000, "it was nothing for them to play cards every night of the week, and dominoes – that was their thing," Allacher said. "They just got together and they've been their support for each other, forever." Kopriva said she was glad to have her sisters around. "I'm glad we had company. We got to play together," she said, before admitting that as the oldest, she gets "to be boss."

"We've been together all of our lives around Rawlins County and Atwood," said Pochop, whose daughter Valyne revealed that the three sisters used to call one another two or three times a day while navigating motherhood. "We always had family holiday celebrations with the aunts and uncles and cousins and, of course, Grandpa and Grandma when they were alive. They've always been very close," she said. "They've always been involved in each other's lives. That's just pretty amazing."