
Audio By Carbonatix
Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester born seconds apart in 1919 died hours apart.The Buffalo-born brothers 92 were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor.Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town."It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.
They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla.,Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008."It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters.They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church."Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said.One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City.They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956.After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled.It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first."Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, `Can I take you to dinner?'"Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, `We aren't going to dinner?' `No, we'll go home,'" Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. `No, we aren't going today.'"Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg.Afterward, the brothers' bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.Source: AP
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Maiden Katon Praise comes off at Accra Sports Stadium on April 17
2 minutes -
Families flock to Luv FM Easter party at Rattray park in Kumasi
18 minutes -
Rural health worker laments overwhelming burden at CHPS compounds
38 minutes -
Katon Meet to stream Accra stadium Katon Praise Concert worldwide
40 minutes -
Gov’t considers exploring local raw materials to stabilise production costs of sachet water prices
1 hour -
Mahama in Paris: Turning Diplomacy into Delivery
1 hour -
Middle East crisis shows Ghana needs to diversify energy sources – Energy expert
2 hours -
Government of Ghana Internal Revenue Generation cannot fund Big Push in Four Years
2 hours -
EPCG Moderator urges leaders to serve with courage and humility in Easter message
2 hours -
The Cobra at the gate: When good intentions overrun the system
2 hours -
Easter service disrupted in Nyanyano as suspected land guards storm church event
2 hours -
Price surge exposing NDC gov’ts dishonesty -Titus Glover
3 hours -
Afigya Kwabre North MP urges Finance and Energy Ministers to submit energy sector report
3 hours -
Deliver quality or face sanctions — GETFund administrator cautions contractors
3 hours -
Kwahu Easter festivities trigger condom shortages; Health teams boost awareness
3 hours