As a child, Mary lived deep in the country outside of Syracuse, New York. She learned to entertain herself by playing outside, developing her love of nature and a keen imagination. Her family moved to Florida near the Kennedy Space Center and she had to adjust to a different climate and totally different culture. She took art classes when she could afford it and traded live modeling for art instruction. Growing restless at seventeen, Mary hitch hiked round trip from Florida to Vancouver, Canada. At eighteen, she hitched from Florida to Toronto with a friend. Through these adventures she discovered those with the least were the first to share and what a great variety of wonderful people exist.