Mary Lou began working at The Zoo in July of 2018. She was born in Springfield, in the Hungry Hill neighborhood. After marrying, Mary Lou lived in Chicopee for about 10 years, then moved to Ludlow around 2000. Her husband was a Chicopee firefighter and an avid collector of antique cars, so she found herself traveling often to car shows and swap meets. Mary Lou found a passion for traveling and has been to the Caribbean, Mexico, England, Ireland, Scotland, and even Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Mary Lou stays busy outside The Zoo, working part-time at Jewish Family Service and volunteering at Dakin in Springfield as a dog walker. She has been a dog owner most of her life but recently tried fostering cats. Now she lives at home with her “foster fail” newly adopted cat.