Welcome! My name is Mary Ackerman. I was born and raised on a ranch outside of Woodruff—a small town in northern Utah. It was a cattle ranch with lots of wide-open space! I was blessed to have 9 siblings, who were my best friends. It was a great way to grow up, including the small towns of Woodruff, where I went to church, and Randolph, where I went to school. There was a great sense of community there.
After graduating high school, I attended BYU in Provo, Utah, and received a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish. I served an 18-month mission for my church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—in Guatemala City, Guatemala. That was an uplifting and eye-opening experience and helped me realize how blessed I truly am, both spiritually and temporally. One year later, I married Mark Ackerman, who I had known (and dated off and on!) since junior high school. We have 5 children—4 sons and 1 daughter—and 3 granddaughters.