Joseph Danger Lowry’s birth at Enumclaw Regional Hospital Dec. 30 may have been a last-minute, 2010 tax write off for his parents Joseph and MarriAnn, but for Ed and Anita Glasco he was great-grandchild No. 50.

Days earlier, Jacob Lowry welcomed a son, great-grandchild No. 49 for the Glascos.

As more great-grandchildren are expected, Anita Glasco chuckled and said it’s becoming hard to come up with new names.

“People would ask, ‘Are you Catholic or Mormon?’” said Anita, who prayed for a big family. “I’d always answer, ‘passionate Protestant.’”

The Glascos, who are celebrating 55 years of marriage, had nine children, who produced 47 grandchildren, who have now led to the 50 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

“It’s a lot to keep up with,” Anita Glasco admits, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re always busy and we have fun,” Anita said of her family of hard workers. “I think that’s why my family had big families. We had so much fun. We had to be organized and we had to all work together, but it was fun.”

Those more than 100 offspring are “birth only” for the Glascos, who also have 50 foster children, including 35-year-old Jerry, who arrived at their home at age 3 with Down syndrome, and lives and travels with them.

Even with their full house, Ed and Anita opened their Enumclaw home near Mud Mountain Dam to foster children. Anita said the farm gave them room to roam and she thought it would give the children good memories. She and Ed also prided themselves on meeting each foster child’s natural parents.

“I tell people either I did something very right or very wrong,” Anita laughs.

Anita and Ed have always been active. The Glascos were charter members of Country Bible Church, PTA parents, and members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association. They are also big supporters of the March of Dimes, which has been near-and-dear to Anita’s heart since overcoming polio as a child.

In retirement, they are still busy.

“Ed always said, ‘I’m not retired, just redirected,’” Anita said. “We just wanted to use our senior years to do something positive.”

Ed, a retired mechanic, and Anita are lending a helping hand where needed with an organization called Mobile Ministry Assistance Program.

The program takes them south for the winter months and allows them to return to the area during the summer.

“We love what we’re doing, but it’s hard to be away from the family,” Anita said.

“It’s really hard to get the family together now,” said daughter Mardella Park, mother of nine herself and grandmother of the latest two great-grandsons. The social network Facebook, she said, helps.

“Trying, if you can imagine with 47 grandchildren, to keep up with the addresses, boyfriends, weddings and births,” Anita said. “It’s a lot of work to keep on top of it.”

Most of the family lives within three hours of the Plateau – the farthest away is in Bend, Ore. Get-togethers involve renting a large facility, usually an outdoor park in the summer, Park said.

Enumclaw, Anita said, is a special place to the family.

With Enumclaw Regional Hospital closing its doors to make room for St. Elizabeth, Anita said it’s been neat to be a big part of its history.

“Several in the family had three generations born in that hospital,” Anita said. Most were brought into the world by Dr. Jim Merrill, but a number from the early generation arrived with the help of doctors like Leonard Asmundsen and Doug Tait.

Anita also recalled nearly 35 years ago, when the family lost their home to a fire.

“The community opened their hearts to us,” Anita said. “Enumclaw has been so good to us.”

Anita said even her youngest, who has two sons, is thinking bigger is better. She and her husband are planning to adopt more children.

“This family loves children,” Anita said.