Mary was born 16 August 1916 in Columbia, Kentucky. She grew up in Columbia but finished her high school education in Paintsville, Kentucky where her brother Lyle was teaching school. She attended Bryant-Stratton Business College in Louisville, Kentucky. As an Army Wife she accompanied her soldier husband around the United States and to Germany and Vietnam. As a mother her primary concern was the welfare and rearing of her sons. She aspired to be an interior decorator and the decor of her home attests her potential for this pursuit. She is a talented artist and her many oil paintings hang from her walls as well as from those of her relatives and friends. She has been the stabilizing influence in her household.

Source: Col. Harry H. Ellis, Dallas, Tx.