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Twenty-five years ago, The Greenville Advocate reported the birth of a special set of twins at Regional Medical Center of Central Alabama (then L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital) — the first twins born in Butler County in 15 years.

Lovella Owens, their proud mother, welcomed Tamiah Terrell Owens and Jeremiah Jerell Owens, delivered via C-section by Dr. Lou Sztulman. Today, the family celebrates a new milestone — the twins’ 25th birthdays and a long-awaited family reunion.

“We always looked after each other,” Tamiah Owens said. “My mom has four kids total, but me and Jeremiah were always closest.” 

Now with children of their own, the twins’ bond remains as strong as ever. Tamiah, who has three kids and Jeremiah, a father to a four-year-old son, grew up in Greenville, where they graduated from Greenville High School in 2018.

Jeremiah recently returned to Greenville after living out of state for several years. His homecoming has brought joy to the whole family, especially to his sister. 

“Once he moved, I didn’t even really celebrate my birthday,” Tamiah admitted. “I was so used to celebrating it with him. We always did a split cake and I figured if we couldn’t do a split cake, I’d just wait till he gets home.”

Their mother, Lovella Owens, still remembers the day she learned she was having twins. “I had two kids already and I had just gotten my second child started in school when I found out,” Lovella said.  Initially shocked, Lovella was pleasantly surprised, especially given that there were no known twins in her family. “My grandmother had 12 kids and no twins. Now, I’ve got twin nephews too.”

Lovella credits her family for providing support during those early years. 

“Everyone was so excited and thankfully, I had a lot of help,” she said. “I have a cousin that, to this day, still acts like mama.”

Now enjoying her role as a grandmother, Lovella cherishes her time with her grandkids.

“They crawl all over me, and I love seeing their faces light up every time they see me,” she said. “As a grandma, you just get to love on them. Grandbabies will really change your heart.”

The Owens family, now reunited for the first time in six years, plans to make the most of their time together.

“This is the first time in years we’ve all been together,” Tamiah said. “So now we’re trying to get together a couple of times a month and just spend time together.”