Will County Gazette

At the Jan. 19 meeting of the Village of Woodridge Board, Mayor Gina Cuninngham proclaimed Jan. 19 through 22, 2023, as Anna Marie Reed Weekend, to honor the newly minted centenarian.

During the meeting, streamed on YouTube, it was noted that Reed, a first-generation Italian American, was born in Springfield on Jan. 17, 1923.

“Nona, I feel obligated to call you Nona,” Cunningham said. “We have a beautiful proclamation here for you. And this is yours to keep and proudly put wherever you want to. Well, we're so glad, and we're so excited that you have a weekend named after you. You know, I'm the mayor. I do not have a day or two days, so this is special.”

Reed thanked the village for marking the milestone with her and pledged to hang the plaque on her wall.

“Well, this is quite a surprise for me,” she said. “I was so surprised with all the folks here. And I appreciate this very much. I want to thank all of you for celebrating with me.”

Council was told Reed married Robert Reed in 1941. They would go on to have five children, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren, and many still refer to her as “Nona."

In other business, the village board held a moment of silence to honor John Jay, known in the community as Jack Kelly, a well-known resident who passed away on Jan. 1.

The board was told Jay worked as a train conductor and later had a second career with General Motors, retiring at the age of 55. Retirement didn’t last long, as he become fire commissioner for the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Department, serving until 2020, when he reached the age of 90.

Jay, who passed away at 92, is survived by his wife, Joan, four children, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.