10 Parker Chronicle
August 4, 2022
‘Friendship is the most important thing’ Highlands Ranch resident going strong at 100 BY MADDIE BROWNING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Yvette Gunther, Highlands Ranch resident, said her best friend is her dog, Toby. Tiaras line the shelves of a display case near a small white couch. A great grandchild’s painting of a bouquet of flowers is displayed proudly in the hallway. Photo albums containing snippets of a woman’s life lay scattered across the coffee table. No matter how many years pass, she always has a smile on her face. After 100 years of life, two husbands, five children, and many roles including Spanish teacher, dancer, AARP volunteer and decorated pageant queen, Highlands Ranch resident Yvette Gunther hasn’t let any time go to waste. Gunther turned 100 years old on July 30, celebrating with 80 friends and family members at Mount Vernon Canyon Club west of Golden.
CHICKENS FROM PAGE 1
ranch chips and potato salad. For something sweet, there are milkshakes and dessert jars. There are
Yvette Gunther, Highlands Ranch resident, said her best friend is her dog, Toby. PHOTO BY MADDIE BROWNING
“I have a lot of friends. You know, you accumulate them over the years,” said Gunther. Before the party, Gunther described how she planned to dance with her performing group, Cream of the Crop, which started when she lived in
Littleton. Three of the original members are still involved and would be dancing with her. Gunther also takes Chinese ribbon dancing lessons from instructor Christina Ye and planned to perform her own dance. Before her time in Colorado, Gun-
also 17 different sauces for dipping or tossing in the chicken. “We really drive that Southern hospitality home,” Smith said. The restaurant has opened four locations in Colorado in the past four years and has plans to expand further. At least three
more are under construction and several others are in the permitting phase. “Our brand will double in 12 months,” he said. The 3,800-square-foot space in Parker includes a large familystyle table, booths, individual tables and a porch area with windows and garage doors that can remain open or closed. About a quarter of the store’s revenue is expected to come from food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Smith said. General manager Jimmy Gibson, who oversees the restaurant’s operations, says the community can expect a few things when coming to their locations: “Fresh food, fast and great Southern hospitality served with a smile.” Smith and Gibson are also looking to hire more employees for the 80-person team in Parker. Smith said he prioritizes his employees with retirement plans, growth opportunities and health insurance. The company also offers English
ther grew up in British Columbia and attended an all-girls boarding schools from age 6 to 12. “I graduated number one in my class, and guess what I won? Four years of another girls school in California, and I wouldn’t take it,” said Gunther. She decided to attend the University of Washington instead for general studies. Gunther spent the summer after her senior year working in Seattle while living at her sorority house. That’s when she met her first husband, Carl Gunther, who was a navy officer at the time, on a blind date. She followed Carl to Colorado to meet his family, and he proposed to her in the mountains. “Then we came back here and raised our family in Littleton. It was a very nice place to live. And finally, we moved to Highlands Ranch,” she said. After 59 years of marriage, Carl died, and Gunther joined a widows’ club where she met her second husband, Calvin Wilson. “This fellow came up to me and asked if I’d go out with him and I said, ‘No, I don’t know you.’ So, he SEE FRIENDSHIP, P18
Employees at the new Slim Chickens restaurant in Parker prepare meals during their first day open. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER
as a second language workshops. The restaurant, located at 9566 Twenty Mile Road, is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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