Double takes

Editor’s note: We asked our readers to send in photos of parent and child look-alikes. Here are their photos and stories.

Cousins cause much confusion

No, we are not twins, not even sisters. We are, however, cousins who happen to resemble each other.

Over the years we have been mistaken for each other many times. At an auction at Janice's home, her grandson came up to Lela Mae and said, “Grandma...” Janice's son-in-law, who was new to the family, saw Lela driving down the street and was bewildered that she did not wave at him!

Last fall, Lela’s son was pictured in the Kansan and Janice was told it was a good picture of her son.

At a recent family funeral, there were three incidents of confusion.

An uncle of theirs asked Janice if Tim (Lela’s husband) was there also.

A server remarked, “You must be twins.”

A friend who knows us both asked Lela about her daughter. “No,” said Lela, you must be thinking of Janice.” “Oh yes,” he said. “I always get you two mixed up.” One day when we went on a coffee break together, a worker said “Oh, there are two of you.”

Both of us have experienced friendly nods, waves and greetings from folks we don’t know.

We respond the best we can, and they’ll never know that we didn’t know them! We’ve had fun being look a likes. Now, who’s older? We'll never tell.

Janice Unruh, Hesston and Lela Mae Sawatzky, North Newton

Mom is ‘The Rock’ of family

This is a picture of my mother, Janet, and I. We are told often that we look a like. Guess you can tell we are mother and daughter.

But let me tell you a little bit about my mom.

Janet is strong, courageous, most remarkable woman.

She’s smart, funny and is always there to catch you when you fall or to help you pick up the pieces of life and figure out where they fit back in.

She’s a wonderful Grandma, always there for all 14 grandkids, for whatever they need.

And when times get tough, Mom stays strong and keeps everyone going, even though inside we know she’s torn up also. Mom is definitely “The Rock” of our family!

To Mom, thank you for being the greatest Mother, Grandma, and best friend. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I just hope to be half as good a mother and wife as you are. Thank you for being you! Happy Mother’s Day!

Tiffany West and mother Janet, both of Newton

Duplicate ways leave strangers guessing

Me (on the right) and my daughter, Sue Patrick of Wichita (left), are taken for twins wherever we go. We usually dress alike and are always asked, “Are you twins?”

We went on a cruise, and people would wait to see what we were going to look like when we came down for dinner.

It is fun, and we get a lot of comments on how much we look alike. I am proud to be Sue’s mother. We even walk the same way, talk the same way and have a lot of the same gestures.

There is no way that I could not claim Sue, since we look so much alike.

Ellen Yocum, Newton

Aunt and niece could be twins

This is a picture of me (Doris Liggitt) on the right and my niece Rita Weins on the left. It was taken at a family reunion in 1982.

She is 16 years younger than I am. I was 53 at the time.

People said I looked like her mother when in reality I’m her aunt.

Doris Liggit, Newton

Family look-alikes share same loves

Mom and I have always had a strong resemblance as long as I can remember.

On several instances, we have been mistaken as sisters, even recently while out on one of our garage sale days.

Many people say I remind them of my mom in not only my looks but mannerisms. We both have a love of animals, working with flowers and doing things with our hands.

Mom lives and works in Halstead, while I live and work in Newton. If we are driving each other’s vehicles, especially in Halstead, I always get waves and second looks, and she usually gets the same in Newton.

I am very blessed to have such a young-looking mom but more blessed to have such a great person and friend as my mom.

Debbie Church, Newton and June Young, Halstead

Sale mixup leaves look-alikes laughing

This picture is of my mother and I. My name is Wana, and my mother is Marian. I live in an upstairs apartment in Newton. One winter morning in the downstairs apartment a garage sale was taking place.

I bought a microwave and other things. Later I called my mother and told her about the sale. She arrived 20 minutes after I left.

“You’re back?” they asked my mother. “Are you buying a strainer to go with the microwave?”

My mother asked what microwave. The ladies responded, the microwave you bought just a minute ago.

My mother told them she had just arrived and had not bought a microwave. The ladies looked surprised and began to describe everything I bought earlier. They thought my mother was teasing them, then they noticed the difference in our blue coats.

To add to this mixup, I went to see what was left at the sale. I asked the ladies if my mother made it to the sale. The ladies seemed really confused — they thought it was me all three times.

Wana Dansby, Newton

Marian Dansby, Newton

Mom wanted look-alike, even a son

As a mom, I was hopeful I would have a child who would have dark hair like me.

All three of our children were born with dark hair that gradually turned lighter in color.

Third time must have been the charm, because unlike his siblings, our son Seth’s hair stayed dark.

I was looking through some old pictures of mine and found one that showed a striking resemblance to what Seth looked like now. I’ve had it up on the wall, and many people have commented how much alike we look, from the facial features to the same style haircut.

Melody and Seth

Bontrager, North Newton

Daughter is like

having a clone

For years, our family has called my daughter, Amber Williams, my “clone.”

Although I have gained weight during the years, much of my family says Amber looks just like I did when I was younger.

They often have done a double-take when they haven’t seen her in awhile.

Her feet are like mine, her hands are like mine, and once when I picked Amber up at the airport, she had cut her hair similar to mine.

When I saw her at the airport, I laughed because I thought I was picking myself up. Not only did she look just like me, but we were wearing almost the same color and style clothing. We laughed about it the whole way home. Amber also has looked in a reflection in windows and has been startled at her own appearance being so much like mine.

We don’t have to worry about packing too many shoes when we visit each other because we can wear each other’s shoes.

But mostly our hard-working hands and our feet are almost exactly alike.

Tammee Yoder, Newton

Amber Williams, Floresville, Texas

8-year-old resembles father in every way

People can tell Justin and Brayden Old are father and son even when they are not together.

Both are long and tall, have glasses and the same body build. They enjoy the races and doing Boy Scout things together. Brayden is 8 years old.

Submitted by Kim Litton in Whitewater

Four generations

of look alikes

Four generations of our family look alike.

Front row, from left, great-grandmother Anges Hinton, daughter Katie Bolton. Back row, grandmother Billie Vetter and mother Kim Kiessinger.

Billie Vetter of Newton