Ohio foster mom retires after taking in 150 kids

In her 72 years on earth, Marlene Tromczynski has been called "Mom" by 153 children.

Tromczynski, or "Mom Trom," gave birth to her first of three biological children in 1961.

In 1974, Tromczynski and her husband decided to welcome a foster teen into their Kent, Ohio, home.

"We decided we'd like to help someone and they, in turn, would help our family be rounded out. We felt like having another girl in our house of two boys and one girl would help even out the score for our daughter," Tromczynski told TODAY of her family's decision to welcome their first foster child, Lori Busch, then 14, into their home.

"I was nervous coming into this family with someone that I didn’t know, but I felt very loved and cared for right away," recalled Busch, now 54. "I welcomed the different things in the house, like sitting down for dinner and using silverware. My first night, Marlene tucked me into bed and gave me a quilt to sleep with. She said 'I love you' and meant it. I wasn't used to all of that."

"My family has been there for me 100 percent," Busch added. "Marlene never made me feel like I was not a biological child."

Five years later, Tromczynski's husband died of a heart attack at the age of 38. The young widow rebuilt her life by welcoming in teenagers who needed a home.

"Instead of going out and trying to find a new mate, I invested myself into the kids and the community," said Tromczynski. "So many people lose their children when their spouse dies, but I needed them and they needed me."

In the nearly four decades since, Tromczynski has taken in 150 foster children, most of them teens, sometimes as many as six of them at a time.

"Nobody wanted to take care of the teenagers. Everybody wanted the cute little babies," she said.

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Some stayed for just days, others for years. And some returned when times were tougher later in life.

"I was really angry when I came into care," Alexander Gless, 22, told the Akron Beacon Herald of living with Tromczynski. "I had anger problems. She gave me someone to talk to and she was a really good listener. Because of the care she provided for me, I was able to become a better man."

"She always strengthened us," he continued. "Whatever ailment we had, whatever we'd been through, she strengthened us. And she always made sure we had stuff to do. We went biking, swimming, Cedar Point. She gave us chores. She kept us busy."

"My mother's formula was a unique combination of showing immediate love and warmth, but also relying on the kids that were already there to tell the new ones, 'You're about to get the best meal of your life so you better set the table and wash your hands,'" said son Ed Tromczynski.

"Here were kids that had only been here for an hour, but had already gotten a hug, warm comforter, someone to tuck him in, and a real person caring for them from both my mother and the other kids."

Now 72, Tromczynski is retiring from foster parenting.

"This is the first time I’ve had an empty house since 1961," Tromczynski told the Akron Beacon Journal.

Scott Lazzara, supervisor for the county’s Children Services agency, told the Akron Beacon Herald that Tromczynski "will be hard to replace."

"Before I became a supervisor, I used to call Marlene to say I have this kid and I can't find a home, and Marlene would say 'Scott, don’t say any more. I'll take him,'" he said. "She never turned a kid down...She would take the worst of the worst."

While she may finally be an empty-nester, with 153 kids plus grandchildren to keep up with, Tromczynski will likely have plenty of visitors to keep her busy in the years to come.