OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A Dubuque, Iowa, native turned Kansas City resident celebrated a century of life on New Year’s Eve.
“It ain’t that bad, I don’t think,” Ernie Mareske said on his 100th birthday. “But it’s kind of a milestone, in a way.”
Reflecting on his last ten decades, he notes the best invention in his time is the calculator.
“Calculator came in, that was a big moment,” he said. “Boy, that was a good thing to have. It made my job (pattern maker for John Deer) so much easier.”
In another season of his life, the avid skier served in the Army's 10th Mountain Division during World War II.
“It wasn’t pleasant to be bombed, or, you know, have somebody killed alongside you,” Mareske said. “That ain’t fun.”
He served from 1943-46 and was abroad for eight months before the war ended.
The experience is something he never hopes to see again, wishing for peace and for all people to "just be nice."
After returning from Italy, Mareske met his wife Lois in a church choir. The pair sang together for 72 years before she passed away.
“It’s just different,” he said. “There’s a hole there that isn’t filled anymore.”
When asked for advice on how to make a marriage work, his answer was simple.
“Say yes,” he said.
Mareske is a grandfather of seven and a great-grandfather of seven.
