Lincoln woman celebrates 100th birthday by meeting her first great-great-grandchild

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Phyllis Wagner of Lincoln was surrounded by family and friends Friday as she celebrated her 100th birthday.

One of those family members was about 100 years younger: her first great-great-grandchild.

A Nebraskan all her life, Wagner spoke about the many things she has witnessed in her 100 years.

“Well, I rode a horse to school,” she said. “They put a man on the moon. I also remember the dust storm of the 1930s and World War II.”

She has enjoyed traveling throughout her long life and has visited all 50 states, finishing in 2006 with a trip to Hawaii.

She said Alaska was her favorite of all states she has traveled to.

Denise Hummel, her granddaughter, reminisced on all of Wagner’s traveling stories.

“She and my Grandpa Roy were able to visit the 48 lower states, and then she drove with him all the way to Alaska and completed that journey in the early 1980s,” Hummel said.

Phyllis was overjoyed that so many people came out to be with her on her special day, many being old supporters of her western band.

“They traveled around with a little country-western band and played music at different little venues, and some of their followers are here today celebrating her 100th birthday,” said Hummel.

Phyllis is also a huge pineapple lover, and for her special day, her family had pineapples flown in from Maui, Hawaii, to finish off her first day of being a century old.