Herman Kreger doesn't understand all the fuss about his 25th birthday.
But for Herman, his 25th birthday will be celebrated today - 100 years after he was born.
His wife, Kathryn, joked that he's only had 24 birthdays.
"Everyone said I married a kid," she said with a laugh.
Kathryn said an open house will be held to celebrate Herman's milestone. She expects their neighbors and church friends to attend the event from 6 to 8 p.m. today at their home.
The Kregers have been members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in South Williamsport for many years and credited the Lord with their long lives - Kathryn will turn 100 on Sept. 13.
"Our secret? The Lord helps us everyday," Kathryn said. "We depend on our Guardian Angel to take care of us."
The Kregers said they also "eat right and live right," meaning no smoking or drinking for either of them in their younger days.
Herman attended school in Linden until the eighth grade. He then took a job at a restaurant across the street from the Capitol Theater, which now is the Community Arts Center. Herman held several jobs but retired from Trimtex, back when you "had to retire at 65."
He also was an Army rifleman in Co. F., of the 168th Infantry Regiment, fighting in Italy during World War II. He was featured recently in the Sun-Gazette's Monday morning Defenders of Freedom series.
Herman built the home they live in in 1953 after he returned from the war. He lived there with his first wife until she died. He married Kathryn in 1966 and they have been married for 45 years.
"I built this house," Herman said. "It used to be just a field here."
The Kregers said they've seen a lot of changes during their lifetimes, but the biggest change, according to Kathryn, is how people discipline their children. She also said that "the older you get, the more you lose," in regard to family and friends who have passed.
