Mara has been married to Kurt for 36 years and has 3 children and 4 grandchildren. They own 2 Ace Hardware Stores in the area, one of which their son manages & the other she manages with Kurt. Mara has a college degree in teaching. She worked in teaching for about 5 years then had the opportunity to buy one Ace store, leading to another several years later. Mara lives in a small town in central Illinois out in the country and enjoys all kinds of gardening on their property, watching and feeding the wildlife, fishing in their pond, and traveling whenever she gets a chance. Her 4 grandchildren are a delight to her and she enjoys hanging out with them whenever they can. Mara attends the Methodist church in Sullivan, IL.