Mary DePaola is well-traveled. She grew up in her mother’s hometown in Oklahoma, and after attending college in Nashville, Tennessee, she packed her bags and left for New York City, where she worked as a structural engineer. She’s journeyed to Ireland and Italy. Yet, she describes herself as “a die-hard Scotch Plains girl.”
“I didn’t [grow up here] but my husband did,” she said. “We had our first two kids when we were living in Manhattan, and when we were ready to move there was really no question. Scotch Plains is the perfect place to live. You can be in the city after a quick ride, you can be down the shore in an hour. I love this town.” An avid walker, she’s discovered what she calls “little gems,” and “nice vignette areas,” like the paths around the Frazee House or the historic downtown area. Furthermore, when thinking of her children -- six in total, now between the ages of 21-30 -- she prioritized giving them an upbringing with variety. “There's such a nice diversity in Scotch Plains. We wanted them to know different types of people and have different types of friends in socioeconomic groups and not just a homogenous town.”
Fully embracing Scotch Plains, DePaola served a term on the town council and learned even more through the position. “You become so educated…and it was a great way to know all of those little bits and pieces.” After taking time off of the workforce to raise her children, she embarked on a career as a realtor, which combined many bits and pieces of her life experiences. “Real estate combines community service, community outreach, and being an engineer I know about buildings and houses and I can kind of speak to that. it combined everything into one great profession for me.”
While real estate is her profession, her family and helping others is her passion. She explains, “[As a family,] when we interact with other people, our thought process is, ‘how can we ease this person's path?’” Sometimes, that’s finding people homes, and sometimes, that’s keeping her own house open and available. “I like to welcome people into our house,” she says. “You’re welcome here at any time, and what can I do for you?”