Paula Fidler went zip-lining at 92. At 100, she's still showing up every Thursday for her Kiwanis Club meeting.

The Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K threw Fidler a birthday party on Thursday, July 16, at Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sandy Plains Road, replacing its regular weekly meeting with cake and celebration. Fidler turned 100 on Saturday, July 11.

The party's program opened with a line that captured the moment: "Kiwanis Celebrate — Paula Tate Fidler is 100!!!: July 11, 1926–July 11, 2026 — one hundred years of living and loving."

Club member John Kone was photographed alongside Fidler at the event. Several of Fidler's family members also attended, the club said.

A century of service

Fidler's story stretches across continents. After World War II, she worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where she met and married Paul Fidler. The couple spent 49 years together as a military family, living in Austria, Germany, Japan, South Korea, North Carolina, California, and Georgia before Paul's death in 1995.

Wherever the family was stationed, Paula volunteered. She visited orphanages in South Korea and worked at the Red Cross Women's Thrift Shop. In 1969, she was named Fort Leonard Wood Military Wife of the Year.

After her husband's death, Fidler stayed active with her four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She climbed Kennesaw Mountain, spent time on the lake, and at 92 strapped in for a zip-line ride.

Local roots

Fidler joined the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K on Oct. 11, 2011, and has been a regular participant for nearly 15 years. In 2021, Kennesaw State University interviewed her for its Legacy Series oral history program, which preserves the stories of people who lived through the Depression and World War II for use in education and public programs.

For her 100th birthday, Fidler received congratulations from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Kiwanis Club Georgia District Gov. Barry Gardner, and President Donald Trump. The club called the presidential greeting the highlight.

Community calendar

The Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K meets every Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Education Center of Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2922 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. Visitors are welcome.