The one-time Miss Colfax of Denver, Colorado (1936), Mary Courtney is probably the most fascinating of our staff. The oldest of nine, mother of eight and grandmother 10 times over, Mary's family life is only the beginning.
After growing up
in Ogden, Utah and then moving on to northern California, Mary's fascinating
life of adventure and and aesthetics started with her first entreprenuerial
venture, development of the historic Old Moraga Cookhouse, a place for "shopping
and lunch for ladies."
Mary also:
* Lived on a boat
in Sausalito, Calif.
* Worked many years in interior design.
* Won a first class trip to New York, where she had cocktails with Mary Kay
in her apartment, was chauffered in limousines and stayed at the Helmsley Palace.
* After the fall of communism, Mary worked with the Peace Corps in Hungary,
cleaning the Danube River by working on individual tributaries. While there
she organized an international art show in Budapest.
* Worked at an Irish pub in Sonoma, Calif. for five years
* Was a competitive outrigger while living in Hilo, Hawaii
Mary has been a valued associate here at Gold Mountain Mining Co. since 2007, after a stint lending her skills to Scottsdale's fabulous Heard Museum. Just back from a rip-stopping trip through Hungary, 72 year old Mary Courtney has obviously lived and seen much.
"I have so much more I want to do!" she says.
Mary suggests to anyone who asks that "anything can bring you joy. You have to have the right attitude. Happiness is a choice."