Catching up with Mertie Terry: Reflects on a long and happy life in Cromwell
by Mark Jahne
Editor
When Cromwell LIFE was preparing to publish its first edition 13 years ago, we contacted municipal leaders to get a sense of the community.
We were quickly told that “if you don’t know Mertie Terry, you don’t know Cromwell.”
The longtime resident has seen a lot of growth and change. She moved to town as a young woman with her late husband Stanley Terry Jr. and planted roots that continue to grow and flourish. He was a state trooper, served in the Navy Seabees during the Vietnam era and was elected to multiple terms as Cromwell’s first selectman. The couple have three children.
“He was a wonderful role model for young people,” she said.
Terry is 89 years old now and has slowed down – a little bit. She jokes that she’s too ornery to die and survived a recent health issue because she wants to stick around a while longer to annoy her family.
She’s still active as a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners and with her beloved Cromwell Childrens Coalition, of which she is a founding member. The nonprofit organization provides financial aid to local children and families who are facing hard times.
"Whatever we do, it’s anonymous. It’s done through the schools,” she said of the coalition. “We never say how wonderful we are.”
Its motto is “kindness is contagious pass it on.”
She remembers her childhood and the people who would do acts of kindness for foster children such as her and then almost immediately seek public adulation for their efforts.
She is as active as her health permits and enjoys writing books. Terry has been a widow since 2008. She recalled working at the old Cromwell Crest (now Autumn Lake Healthcare) on Main Street.
Her childhood was difficult but it taught her at an early age how to be a survivor and not a victim. She overcame tough times, never giving up hope.
“I grew up in a foster home. But it doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you go,” she said.
One of her chores at the foster home in Watertown was to tend to hundreds of chickens. Feeding, cleaning the coop and other duties were expected in return for room and board. She had a sister living in the same home.
“We were wards of the state. I was 10, she was 8,” Terry said.
She became involved in community activities and politics after moving to Cromwell and served on the Board of Education. She also followed in her husband’s footsteps and was elected first selectman. Gov. John Rowland appointed her to serve on the Governor’s Coalition on Youth with Disabilities.
She also volunteered with Klingberg Family Services in New Britain. Terry cited her background as the reason why she became so involved in volunteering and why she especially enjoys being part of the CCC and its nonprofit work to aid local children.
“I wanted to make sure that no child suffered because we [as a community] overlooked their well-being,” she said. “It’s about being there for the community. That’s what enables a community to work, when people step up.”
She feels blessed to live in Cromwell.
“It is wonderful. I’ve got some very good friends. The school system is great, the community is caring,” Terry said. “I like supporting the community because the community supported me.”
She added that people also develop lifelong friendships. She called the support the community offers to the schools and neighborhoods “extraordinary.” CL