‘They’ve all been good’: Long-time St. Charles resident turns 100

St. Charles resident Arvena “Vee” Guynn celebrated her 100th birthday with friends, family, cake, champagne and a mayoral proclamation in her honor.

The community room at River Glenn was decorated with balloons, streamers and flowers, and filled with loved ones sharing cake and looking back on memories, in celebration of Guynn joining the centenarian club.

While she didn’t have any health tips for living long, Guynn said, “My mother always told me, ‘Vee, you just have to keep on keeping on,’ so that’s what I’m doing.”

Guynn was born May 28, 1925, in downstate Taylorville. She married her high school sweetheart, Vernon Guynn, in 1947 and moved to St. Charles in 1956.

Guynn now has four children, 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

In her nearly 70 years in St. Charles, Guynn has been an influential and dedicated member of the community, for which she and her husband were awarded the city’s highest honor, the Charlemagne Award, in 2007.

Guynn wore many hats during her lifetime, having been a business owner, travel agent, elementary school room mother and frequent volunteer at Delnor Hospital and the juvenile court house.

She is also a 61-year member of the P.E.O. Illinois chapter, a philanthropic organization that provides educational opportunities to women, and a 66-year member of the Pottawatomie Garden Club.

Mayor Clint Hull made a proclamation at the party, thanking Guynn for her dedication to the community and service over the years.

Hull called Guynn “a shining example of dedication to family, education, service and community,” and was happy to be honoring her with his first mayoral proclamation in the community.

“When I think about what you and your husband have meant to the city of St. Charles, and what you continue to mean to the city of St. Charles, I’m just so thrilled that the first person that I get to honor here outside City Hall is you,” Hull said.

Local pastor and Guynn’s longtime friend Al Patten also said a few words about their friendship before singing her a special birthday song.

Guynn said her 100th trip around the sun felt similar to the 80th and 90th.

“They’ve all been good,” she said.

Guynn said she has seen a lot of change in her lifetime, and mostly for the good. She said while there will always be obstacles, she remains hopeful that the world is headed in the right direction for the next generation.

Three of Guynn’s children, Debbie McDonald, Kevin and Brent Guynn, as well as two of her grandchildren and four great-grandchildren also came to celebrate.