Mary Griffith Chalupsky was born Mary Etta Griffith at West Frankfort, IL, to Viola (Brown) Griffith and Edgar Griffith. She presently lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with her little dog Buttons. She was married to LaVerne Chalupsky until his death. Together they raised six children on a farm near Fairfax, Iowa. She attended college when her youngest child entered high school and studied the arts. She was a volunteer in her church and in her community. She worked in the medical field and owned and operated Medical Claims Billing. Mary served under three state commissions, (Tax Study, Judicial Compensation, and Athletic Trainer) for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. She is a member of the DAR and the Mayflower Society. Mary won many awards for her poetry through the Iowa Poetry Day Association, startingin 1987-2007 She worked as a freelancer for Eastern Iowa Online Newspaper, the Arkansas Pacesetting Times, and God Makes Lemonade series.