‘I tried’: Woman celebrates 100th birthday
By Jessica Perez
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BENNINGTON, Nebraska (KETV) — A Bennington woman celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by five generations of family members.
Marian Fitzwater had her surprise party at Ridgewood Senior Living Saturday.
She re-lived 100 years of memories as her family played her a slide show of her life.
“Very emotional, it really was,” Marian said.
She said she’s content with her life, having worked at the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant at 18 during World War II.
She owned a Sears store in Shenandoah, which was uncommon for a woman at the time.
In this life, Marian also delivered Meals on Wheels and met the love of her life.
“He would not let us get engaged or married until he came home from the war, so we had to wait and that was the longest wait I’d ever spent in my life,” Marian said.
She remembers the relief she felt when he returned.
They went on to build a life together and brought three kids into the world, which led to the other four generations now celebrating her 100th birthday.
Her great-granddaughter Jenn Gjerde called it a special moment.
“Knowing not a lot of people have five generations in one room ever is super special for us,” Gjerde said.
Youngest son Phillip Fitzwater said his mom has been the love of the family forever.
“She’s kind of the anchor of the family, and to see her make it to 100 is pretty unbelievable; it’s very touching,” Phillip said.
Marian said her secret to a long life is taking it day by day and being happy.
That’s something Phillip takes to heart.
“To be open and to be positive, to be accepting about your life and to be happy about what your life is,” he said.
Marian’s life motto is “I tried.”
She’s tried many things, such as kayaking, riding a helicopter at the Grand Canyon, sushi and even yoga at 90 years old.
“I just want to try new things and not afraid to try new things, so I just do them,” Marian said.
To be surrounded by love and to experience so much, she counts herself lucky.
“My health has been good, my memory is so so, it’s not bad, and I count my many blessings every day,” she said.
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