During her time at Bremen, Mary Lou was on the Echo Staff, Girls Club, and GAA.  She then continued her education at Northern Illinois University where, in 1966, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a minor in Early Childhood Development.

Like many women at that time, she left her teaching career to focus on raising her family but she felt this was also a great time to be an active participant in her community.  She feels that, if you live in a community and make use of the services that community provides, you are obligated to give back with service.  It was during these years that Mary Lou volunteered as a catechist and catechist trainer with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, a phone volunteer with a crisis hotline sponsored by the LaGrange IL Community Nurse and Service Association, and as Vice-President of the National Association of Women in Careers, providing networking and career development opportunities. 

In 1988, Mary Lou began a second career in the insurance industry with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.  As an Associate Director of Manpower Development, she participated in recruiting and training new financial representatives using her skills as a teacher and motivator.  When she moved from agency development to sales and marketing, she partnered with a veteran financial representative as his associate and, together, increased production targets and consistently qualified for top insurance awards.

In 2000, she was faced with the challenge of her husband’s diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her response to this challenge, along with her two daughters, was to launch a three-year fund-raising project with the Les Turner ALS Foundation to provide dollars for research and patient care.  Rich Pisone’s Rockin’ Round the Clock for ALS netted over $100,000 during that time.

Since her husband’s death in 2001, Mary Lou has continued her  volunteer efforts with the Les Turner Foundation and has been a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2011.   Since retiring from Northwestern Mutual, she has continued her work with the Les Turner Foundation as a member of the Board of Directors.  She has had the privilege, through that relationship, of serving as a peer reviewer for the U.S. Department of Defense ALS research grant review program.  In her ‘spare time’, she also serves on the board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the city of Countryside, IL.

Mary Lou continues to be a staple in the community by devoting her time and effort to the Bremen Class of 1962 Reunion Committee.