ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Donald Stephens, Rosemont's first and only mayor for more than a half-century, was remembered Monday as a visionary who turned an enclave of fewer than 100 people into a thriving community with one of the nation's largest convention centers.

"Everything that is good and great about Rosemont that surrounds us today is an example of that vision," former Illinois Gov. James Thompson said in his eulogy.

Stephens died of stomach cancer last week at age 79.

Hundreds of residents and dignitaries -- including Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Gov. Jim Edgar, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and House Speaker Michael Madigan -- attended the funeral service at the Rosemont Theatre.

Thompson and others pointed to landmarks throughout Rosemont; including hotels, restaurants and a convention center that bears Stephens' name; as testament to his dedication.

"He was able over 50 years to build a community almost by himself," Blagojevich said after the service.

Edgar said Stephens, "really created something i don't think anybody else even thought about."

Dorothy Gallo, 72, who has lived in Rosemont for 40 years, said Stephens took good care of residents.

"We never had a want for anything. It got better and better," Gallo said. "He was behind everything ... he was really the pillar."

Re-elected to a four-year term in 2005, Stephens was the longest-serving mayor in Illinois. He took office in 1956, just one year after Richard J. Daley became mayor of Chicago and the year the current mayor Daley turned 13.

Most of the hotels and restaurants in Rosemont, near O'Hare International Airport, did not exist when Stephens became mayor. Now, Rosemont's tourism and hospitality industry has an economic impact of about $248 million a year, according to the village Web site.

One issue that dogged Stephens was his unsuccessful effort to bring a casino to his community.

Stephens spent many years and millions of dollars on the proposed Emerald Casino project. Then in the summer of 2005, an FBI agent testified before the Illinois Gaming Board that Stephens had met with several organized crime figures about mob control of building and operating contracts at the planned gambling hall.

In December 2005, the gaming board voted unanimously to revoke Emerald's gambling license, saying that top company officials had lied to regulators and allowed people with alleged ties to organized crime to become investors.

Stephens repeatedly denied allegations he had any mob ties.

"It's utterly ridiculous. There isn't a word of truth in it," he said at the time the FBI agent testified. "This is utter nonsense."

Stephens is survived by his wife, Katherine; a daughter, Gail, and sons, Donald, Mark and Bradley.