Mary Ellen was born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Her family moved to Montana when her father, a Section Foreman on the Great Northern Railroad, was transferred. She attended local schools and graduated from Whitefish High School. Mary Ellen has been an activist as president and district president of the Woman's Club, an international service organization. She completed a series of courses and worked as a Real Estate Appraiser before she was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 1982. She served five terms on the powerful Appropriations and Budget Committee and chair of the Long-range Planning Subcommittee. She was selected "Woman of the Year" and received various other honors as well. Mary Ellen currently lives in California on an acre and a half on the Calaveras River.
