At 101, Marian Fitzwater says her secret to longevity is trying new things
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Marian Fitzwater of Bennington, Nebraska, has lived past 100 after working at a wartime aircraft plant, running a Sears store and raising three children.
- She credits an optimistic outlook, gratitude and a willingness to try new experiences, including kayaking, yoga and helicopter rides.
- Fitzwater’s family describes her as an anchor whose life has brought five generations together.
At 101, Marian Fitzwater says she has never been afraid to try something new. “I just want to try new things and I'm not afraid to try them, so I just do them,” she said during her 100th birthday celebration.
That was the longest wait I have ever had in my life.
Fitzwater, from Bennington, Nebraska, was born in 1924. At 18, during the Second World War, she worked at the Glenn L. Martin bomber plant, helping manufacture aircraft. She also fell in love with a man serving on the battlefield and waited for him to return. “That was the longest wait I have ever had in my life,” she recalled in a 2024 interview with KETV NewsWatch 7.
I just want to try new things and I'm not afraid to try them, so I just do them.
She later became the owner of a Sears store in Shenandoah and raised three children. Her family grew across four further generations. One of her great-granddaughters, Jenn Gjerde, said few people manage to bring five complete generations into one room, calling the family gathering “very special.” Her son Phillip Fitzwater called her “a kind of anchor for the family” and said reaching 100 was deeply moving.
She is a kind of anchor for the family, and seeing her reach 100 is quite incredible; it is very moving.
Fitzwater remained active into her 90s, taking part in kayaking and yoga and trying unusual experiences such as helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon. She says her health has remained good and that she counts her blessings every day. “My health has been good, my memory is average, not bad, and I count my many blessings every day,” she said.
My health has been good, my memory is average, not bad, and I count my many blessings every day.
About this summary
Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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