Now a devoted grandmother, 1939 Cradle Baby Betsy Berry credits her adoption journey with her good life and fortune. Learn why Betsy holds a unique and special connection to The Cradle.
Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Berry is a mother, grandmother, world traveler and a proud Cradle baby, Class of 1939.
“I always knew I was adopted,” Betsy says. “But sometimes I would tease my mom that she made it up since we have some physical characteristics in common. My mom and I both grew two inches when we turned 21, we are both missing two wisdom teeth and I definitely have the family nose.”
Betsy recalls visiting The Cradle as a young child and being surprised to see a baby photo of herself on the wall. She also remembers always being comfortable as an adopted child and that there were several other adoptive families in her hometown of Cincinnati. She and her younger brother, also a Cradle baby, grew up knowing their adoption stories.
“I was born in 1939, the same year as one of Bob Hope’s kids,” Betsy says. “My dad used to tell a story about meeting Bob Hope in California, and they compared pictures of their Cradle babies. I feel proud to be a Cradle Baby.”
Betsy still lives in Cincinnati today and has been a generous Cradle donor for many years. “I started making memorial gifts to The Cradle when someone died because I thought it was a nice way to honor someone’s memory by contributing to the start of a new life,” Betsy says. Several years ago, she became a Nursery Angel, sponsoring The Cradle Nursery on her birthday.
“The gift is ‘in honor of all of my parents,’” she explains. “I never really thought much about my birth mother except on my birthday — my mom was my mom and my dad was my dad. But I appreciate the choice she made for me because I had a wonderful life. None of my parents are alive now, so I thought it was a good time to [make] the gift so no one could be offended.”
In addition to Betsy’s continuing support of the Nursery, she has sponsored The Cradle Open House.
Betsy has two children, a son in Colorado and a daughter in Texas, and six grandchildren. “I am a traveling Nana,” she says. “I don’t know what I would do without the modern technology of FaceTime that allows me to stay in touch.” Besides spending time with her family, Betsy loves to explore the world. Last year, she and a childhood friend took a trip to Tahiti and had a marvelous time.
For 100 years and counting, The Cradle has built nurturing families and provided lifelong support to people whose lives have been touched by adoption. Faces of The Cradle is a celebration of their stories. Meet more of the people who make what we do possible and all the more meaningful.
