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Bio

Mary O'Brien is a Midwesterner through and through. Born in Wisconsin, raised in Kansas, and educated at Northwestern University in Illinois, she fled the Heartland in 1970, to establish herself in San Francisco. She worked in the creative department of an ad agency and landed the perfect hippie husband the first year she was there. In 1975, the O'Briens relocated to Anderson Valley with their children, Aaron, Molly, and Sam. Culture shock set in, but Mary was able to remain sane by teaching drama at the elementary school and playing the organ very badly at the Catholic Church. Because she enjoyed working with kids so much, she went back to UC Davis to get teaching credential. She has taught at the elementary, junior, and senior high for the past 24 years. She is proud of her family's accomplishments. Her husband Ron, is a talented saxophone player, her stepson Aaron and son Sam are both high school teachers, and her daughter Molly is a CPA. Mary is gaa-gaa over her grand daughters, Emma (1 mo.) and Julia (6).

When she is not teaching, Mary enjoys swimming a half mile at a stretch, watching movies, reading, cooking exotic soups, and walking, which is continues to be a challenge for her.