Mary L. Elchert was born in an Ohio town fifty miles from Toledo, the town of Tiffin (population 23,000), where she has lived all of her life. Tiffin (the scene of her inspiring memoir) is also where the author has raised eleven children and has operated (with her husband) a successful retail-wholesale business dealing in religious articles. Elchert Religious Shops Affiliated, begun twenty-three years ago, has supplied religious articles for twenty-two Ohio cities.
Another accomplishment in Mrs. Elchert’s busy life is her participation in community life in Tiffin, where she is active in such organizations as the Catholic Ladies of Columbia, Saint Francis Home Auxiliary and Saint Joseph Women’s Choir.