Jane Goodermote of Berlin took in a 10 year old foster child 45 years ago. She was close to the age of her own daughter and for a year the girls grew up together. They went to school together and had their first boyfriends together. They even got rings which they steamed to peel back the covering to make them shiny wedding rings. Jane taught Penny Carlisle various country skills, including how to dig dandelions.
Penny always remembered glimpses of that year in her country home with her country foster mom. She grew up, married and took the name of Penny Jones. She had two children of her own and is now a grandmother.
She worked hard and became a Rensselaer County employee who specialized in the elderly. In June she became the Director of Rensselaer County’s Everett Wagar Senior Center in Grafton. This Center services Berlin and other area towns. Since then she asked every Goodermote she met if they knew of any Goodermote families that took in foster children. At the Berlin Senior Citizens Christmas Party when she asked Jane that question a tearful reunion followed.
The little girl Jane took in has come back with the same kindness and generosity that was shown to her. She has worked very hard to meet the needs of the elderly in this area. It seems that the saying “What goes around comes around” does not have to be a negative one!
