Nov. 7 was a busy day for Maria Aulenbacher:

Friends showed up at 9 a.m., followed by a lunch party with visiting family, topped off by a cocktail party that lasted into the next morning.

"She was up and thriving at midnight when the rest of us were exhausted," said her granddaughter, Christina Dickerson of Pittsburgh. "She said to me, 'You only turn 100 once!' "

Ms. Dickerson and her family traveled to Mrs. Aulenbacher's home in Wiesbaden, Germany, to celebrate with her.

"My grandmother has an incredible zest for life. She is someone who recognizes how terrible life can sometimes be but has the ability to always find hope in every situation," she said.

On Nov. 7, 1909, Maria Kremer was born in the Taunus Mountains of Germany. In 1937, she married August Aulenbacher, and they had two children: Birgit Dickerson of Traveler's Rest, S.C., and Michael Aulenbacher (deceased). She raised them alone after her husband was killed in World War II.

Each day, Mrs. Aulenbacher shops for fresh ingredients to prepare meals for herself and her younger sister, who lives nearby. She enjoys cooking, baking, discussing politics, doing crossword puzzles and watching news documentaries. She has always liked traveling and exploring; she has visited most of the United States, including a visit to Pittsburgh in 2008, and most recently went to Italy, Spain and Portugal. She has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

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