Despite approaching 108 years on this earth, Homewood’s Mary Cantway said she does not have any secrets to longevity. She has remained active throughout her life, and that has surely helped, but Cantway is just as curious as anyone else about what has kept her going all these years.
“I’m not sure why I’m still here,” Cantway said. “All I know is if you want to be useful and get something out of life, you have to put something into it.”
For Cantway, that has meant involvement with the Homewood Historical Society in recent years, time with friends she has made through the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club and practicing her faith with the Presbyterian Church. She has become something of a local celebrity, with strangers even asking for photos with her these days.
Antonia Urbanski, Homewood’s communications and engagement specialist, said though Cantway thinks nothing of her age, she is happy to tell her life story to those willing to listen. She has seen a lot in her lifetime and remembers it well.
“She’s sharp,” Urbanski said. “She’s very nice.”
The village wants to return some of that niceness, and is asking for help celebrating the birthday of its oldest known resident. They’re collecting birthday cards for Cantway, who has lived in Homewood for decades and is to turn 108 years old Sept. 30.
“This would totally make her whole day,” Urbanski said.
Cards can be sent by Sept. 28 to Homewood Village Hall, 2020 Chestnut Road, Homewood, IL, 60430. The cards are to be hand-delivered by Mayor Rich Hofeld on Cantway’s birthday as a surprise. The family requested people send only cards, no gifts.
Cantway graduated from Parker High School in 1932 while living in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. During the Great Depression, she found a job with Swift & Co. and worked there until she married Elmo Cantway in 1940. When they eventually started looking for their own place, Cantway remembered a house on a hill she saw coming out of the viaduct in Homewood.
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’d like to live in Homewood,'” Cantway said.
At the time, the real estate agent had only one residence in town to show them. Mary was unsure about the place, but Elmo was worried about losing it, so they bought it, she said. They raised their two children in the home, and Cantway lives there to this day — with her daughter and son-in-law.
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“I’ve been very happy here,” Cantway said. “It’s been quite a time.”
Cantway said she has seen a lot of history unfold over more than a century — some of it good, some of it bad. But the event she considers herself most fortunate to witness was the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. She still remembers watching it on television in disbelief.
“I have seen a lot of things,” Cantway said. “I couldn’t imagine at one time anybody going to the moon. I thought that was just impossible to do. That was something in my lifetime.”
For approximately 40 years, Cantway was a member at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, where she swam until she was approximately 105 years old. Following a fall in recent years, Cantway’s exercise has been limited but remains a daily habit.
Cantway also still exercises her mind regularly. She enjoys puzzle books and keeps up with the latest technology, using it to play games.
“I’m really fortunate that I have my mind,” Cantway said. “I love the computer, to tell you the truth. I love to play games on the computer is what I do, mostly.”
Cantway said she watches a little news on television but is not much of a movie buff. She prefers to read at night. And friends often visit in the afternoons, with Cantway sitting out on the back porch when the weather allows.
She has been to most of the 50 states, as well as China and Switzerland. And she has taken cruises to Mexico, Greece and Alaska in her lifetime.
“I like cruises,” Cantway said. “I’ve been to quite a few places.”
Cantway’s family has grown to include six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her family, friends and the community have helped celebrate her 100th and 105th birthday milestones with big parties. And while she has no major plans to celebrate her 108th trip around the sun, Cantway said she is sure she will enjoy some cake — and maybe a few surprises.
“I’ve had a good life,” she said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done.”
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.