Letter: Lauds her adoptive parents

Dear Editor,

Tom Hawksford and I, both running for county board in the Town of Troy, share a common experience: the adoption of older children.

Tom and his wife, Mary, as we learned in last week’s March 8 Hudson Star-Observer article, adopted two Russian boys at ages 9 and 11, eight years ago. I commend them highly for doing so.

My experience differs slightly, as I received the benefit of adoption as an older child. The special souls who raised me were 60 when they took me into their home as a foster child then later adopted me when I was 14. They said I kept them young, but it’s more likely I kept them tired out. They sent me to a parochial school and nurtured my special interest in reading, providing me with lots of books.

As their health failed, it was not physically or economically easy for them to raise a child. We did make it though. I helped out too by working during high school. My only wish is that I could have had more time with them before their passing. Dwight and Perle Whitmer continue to be immortalized in my memory for their selflessness and abundance of love. As I am now the age they were when they took me in and as I enter semi-retirement, I hope to find a way to pay forward in their honor.

Contact one of these local St. Croix County sources to learn more about adopting an older child.

Crossroads Adoption Services (715) 386-5550 Path (715) 386-1547.

Tags: opinion, letters, family