— Maggie Gordon
GUILDERLAND -- Marlene Plant, who raised 10 children single-handedly after her husband left her, defines success for a mother as "putting your family first and doing the best you can with what you have."

At age 68, she received the Mother of the Year award from the Guilderland Elks Saturday evening at a dinner held in her honor. Plant was nominated by her oldest daughter, Charlene M. Plant, 48, of Albany, and was one of a few nominations received by the Elks.
Marlene Plant encouraged her children to do the best they could. "She taught her children to free your heart from hatred, free your mind from worries, live simply, give more and to expect less," Plant’s daughter wrote.

Plant’s 10 children were born over a span of 22 years. While all of her own children were still at home, Plant’s days included lacrosse games, Pop Warner football, and Girl Scouts.
She said the most challenging part of raising her seven boys and three girls was "just keeping up with them."
Plant also said that it was financially difficult to raise a household of children. She said her husband "got himself a younger girlfriend" and left in the mid-1980’s while she still had two young children at home. At this time, Plant did not even have a driver’s license, and she had been out of the work force for about 30 years.

Plant got her driver’s license at the age of 42 and found a job at Blue Cross/Blue Shield, where she worked in the mailroom for ten-and-a-half years. She said juggling her duties as a mother with working was the most challenging part of switching her roles from a primarily domestic lifestyle to becoming the main provider for her family.
"I think every working mother goes through that," Plant said. Her mother had also been a single parent, and a mother of six children.
Plant’s daughter, Charlene, wrote in a letter nominating her mother for the award that this experience enabled her to be independent and "motivated her and allowed her to do things for herself like never before."

Her youngest child is now in his mid-20’s, and planning his wedding this September.

Since her own kids have grown, Marlene Plant now devotes much of her time to her 19 grandchildren, who range in age from 25 to two years old.

Plant’s daughter wrote that Plant attends her grandchildren’s school and extra-curricular activities as well as the occasional field trip. She also baby-sits her grandchildren, especially when they are sick.
Even when Plant was sick with transition cell carcinoma in 2000, she "refused to let it keep her down," her daughter said. While Plant lost a kidney to the disease, she has continued to live her life as a dedicated mother and grandmother, and also as an employee at Wal-Mart, where she has worked since 1998.
While Plant’s life has been filled with many obstacles, her daughter wrote that she "continues to make every day count and teach her positive values to her family."
Plant said being named mother of the year was a great feeling. "I was stunned... It’s always nice to know what your kids feel about you and that all your hard work paid off."