Mary Elizabeth Bianchi Ferrante was born on Cleveland’s West Side to Francesco and Angelina Pasqualoni Bianchi, immigrants from Abruzzo, Italy. She is very passionate about and proud of her Italian heritage and is staunchly dedicated to its preservation and perpetuation. Mary has selflessly given years of service to the Italian American community in a variety of ways and continues to do so to this day.

Mary has been a member of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) for 63 years. She is a member of the ISDA Our Lady of Mount Carmel Lodge and has served in numerous offices. At the district level, she served as the Publicity Chairperson.