Mary Joy graduated from Eden Prairie High School in 1942. Her family, after becoming destitute and losing their home in Minneapolis, survived the Great Depression by living off one acre of land in Eden Prairie. Her memoir, Recalling Yesterdays, relates her experiences in Eden Prairie's elementary and high schools (soft cover).

Volunteer work during a political campaign in 1968 led to a job offer that launched her back into the work world. Mary Joy's memoir covers the ups and downs of her 27-year career in government, corporations, the University of Minnesota, and environmental organizations - rising from a secretary role to an executive level. She also tells about her 40-year marriage, her mid-life metamorphosis, and her people-to-people diplomacy experience with Russian citizens during a Volga River cruise in 1990.