R.I.P. Ms. Cantway.

https://longeviquest.com/2026/06/illinois-woman-mary-cantway-dies-at-111/

Illinois Woman Mary Cantway Dies at 111

Mary Cantway, a resident of Homewood, Illinois, USA, passed away on 2 June, at the age of 111 years, 245 days.

Mary Cantway was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 30 September 1914, to parents Homer Granville Hernly and Mary Jennie Lee. She had four siblings. She graduated from Parker High School in 1932 while living in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.

During the Great Depression, she secured a job at Swift & Co., where she worked until marrying Elmo Emery Cantway on 22 June 1940. When they began searching for a home of their own, she recalled seeing a house on a hill as they passed through a viaduct in Homewood. Although they initially visited a different house in the area, she was uncertain about it. However, Elmo, concerned about missing the opportunity, convinced her to purchase it. They raised their two children, Donald and Linda, there, and she spent most of her life in that home. Her husband passed away on 22 January 1982, aged 81.

Rest in peace Ms Cantway.

Edit: she died on 1 June 2026

She was the third-oldest known living person in Illinois.
She died at the same age as:
Mathilde Gratry F 10 May 1896 10 Jan 2008 111 years, 245 days France
Avice Clarke F 17 May 1900 17 Jan 2012 111 years, 245 days United Kingdom / United States
Irene Pearce F 5 Jan 1901 6 Sept 2012 111 years, 245 days United Kingdom
Madeleine Brehamel F 31 Aug 1903 3 May 2015 111 years, 245 days France
Anna Furrer F 23 June 1913 23 Feb 2025 111 years, 245 days Switzerland
She was the 22nd-oldest living person in the USA.
She was the 92nd-oldest living person in the world.