FOUNDATION NEWS

The Gift of Giving

“One of the amazing things about Grace Cottage is that the homey feeling has been preserved through the years, even with the new addition,” said Rose Marie Short of Townshend, “and Grace Cottage still has a heart. Where else do you find that, in today’s healthcare world?

Rose Marie and Bentley

”Rose Marie has given her time, talent, energy and financial gifts to Grace Cottage since the hospital’s inception in 1949. “For the hospital’s opening, I handwrote cards to put on various items to let people know who had donated them. I’ll never forget that Dr. Otis’s three daughters gave a bassinet, with the instructions that it was only to be used for boy babies!”

Rose Marie moved to Vermont with her parents in 1944 when they sold their ice cream plant (Bossy’s Best) in Merrick, Long Island. The family purchased land in Hubbardton, VT upon which they planted 1,000 apple trees. When they sold the land and trees a year later, to someone who made an offer they couldn’t refuse, Rose Marie’s father began to explore other options. “My first night in this area was spent in the Newfane Hotel and Jail,” laughed Rose Marie, recalling that the two facilities were located in the same building.

Rose Marie’s family bought a house on Deer Ridge Road in Townshend and she graduated from Leland & Gray, valedictorian of her class, in 1950. She married Robert Short after graduation, just before he started serving in Korea. The couple’s eldest daughter, Helen Grace, was born at Fort Dix, and their second girl, Constance, was delivered by Dr. Otis at Grace Cottage in 1954.

From 1961 until 1972, Rose Marie worked in the Business Office at Grace Cottage. She had to stop working when her eyesight failed, but she wasn’t diagnosed as legally blind with macular degeneration until 1981. “I’m determined to stay independent as long as possible,” Rose Marie declared, “and having Grace Cottage right down the road helps so much. That’s why I like to give what I’m able to afford.”