Sault-born triplets Paula Colosimo, Deb Doucet and Brenda Turbide turned 60 this month.
Paula was born at approximately 11:40 p.m. Feb. 23, 1965, followed by Deb shortly before midnight then Brenda at approximately 12:10 a.m. on Feb. 24.
Each baby weighed approximately five pounds and the three are the youngest of seven children born to Earl and Claudette Berlinghoff.
While most triplets are of the fraternal variety, Deb and Brenda are identical while Paula is fraternal. The likelihood of such a combination is believed to be one in 200,000.
Paula and Deb have lived and worked in the Sault for their entire lives while Brenda has resided in the Whitby, Ont. area for 30 years.
The birth of the triplets generated stories and photographs in local media and attracted extra attention from their peers, especially when they were younger.
However, the three took that extra attention in stride and have enjoyed their lives as three close siblings.
“We didn’t feel different because that’s all we knew. We were used to it being the three of us,” Deb said in an interview with SooToday.
Deb and Paula were present in Paula’s home while Brenda joined the interview remotely.
Brenda agreed that she never felt unusual in being a triplet.
“To me, it just felt normal. We were always three, we were always triplets. I didn’t think there was anything different about it,” Brenda said.
As for Paula?
“I was always a little bit more independent because Deb and Brenda are identical, but we were all used to it. We definitely were used to the hype about being triplets.”
Deb and Brenda have had fun with being identical.
“We went to a different high school (Deb at Bawating Collegiate, Brenda at Alexander Henry High School). Brenda was taking hair dressing at the Henry so one day I went into her class. I sat in her classroom the whole time and she wasn’t there. Nobody knew the difference. That's how identical we were,” Deb said with a smile.
The three said they felt a closer bond than other siblings.
“We did, especially as we were growing up. Deb and I spoke the same things all of a sudden, all the time. We would think of the same things and look at each other and say ‘are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ We had this mental telepathy, all three of us,” Paula said.
The triplets said they have had a greater sense of security.
“I think there’s a confidence that you always have somebody who has your back and you never feel alone,” Deb said.
Brenda agreed.
“You do feel more secure. When Deb and I were younger we were a little bit shy but we had each other. Paula was more out there and had a lot of friends. We're totally not like that now. Nobody would ever imagine that Deb and I were shy,” Brenda said with a laugh.
Deb remembers Paula as being the ‘motherly triplet.’
“I was like a big sister so a lot of confidence came from that. I took care of my sisters but we were the same age. We did the same things. We were in the same grade in elementary school,” Paula said.
Paula, Deb and Brenda forged their own identities as they grew older.
Each of the three are professional hairstylists.
Paula taught hairstyling at Sault College, owned and operated Shampoo Alley and sang in a local group called the Twin City Rollers.
Deb has worked as a hairstylist and as a server at local restaurants.
Brenda worked as a Canada Post employee and restaurant server.
Deb and Paula have also come through sad times.
Deb’s husband Don Doucet was a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer who died in the line of duty on May 14, 2006.
Paula’s husband - well-known local musician Mike Case - died in April 2015 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
While their father Earl Berlinghoff is deceased, their mother Claudette Berlinghoff - who hails from the Timmins area - is a cheerful lady in her 80s.
“They didn't have ultrasound when the girls were born. I didn’t know I was going to have triplets. I had four children already so it was a big surprise. All of a sudden I had seven children. My youngest child wasn't even two years old yet,” Claudette said.
A strong mother, Claudette raised her seven children and is beloved by her family.
Deb and Brenda said they're feeling good about life as they turn 60.
“I'm excited. I think I'm healthier than I was when I was in my early 50s. My second husband and I own a cottage.
"We're very happy in our lives together. I’m still working part time as a hairstylist. I like exercising and love being around the people we love, having dinner parties, just enjoying life,” Paula said.
The triplets - each of them mothers and grandmothers - are looking forward to having a large family celebration of their 60th birthdays during the Easter long weekend in April.
“We love our family deeply. Our values are very much the same. We all follow our own paths now but we’re a close knit family,” Deb said.