Mary Norie was born 30 December 1904 in Emporium, Pennsylvania. Early in her life, the family moved to western Washington. Mary graduated from the University of Washington with B.A. and M.A. degrees in English. In 1928, she married William Carr Banks, an instructor at the University of Idaho, and lived primarily in Moscow, ID for the rest of her life. Before moving to Moscow, Mary was a trained concert pianist, continuing her interest in learning she received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Idaho in 1951. She frequently taught local children piano, and wrote and published her own piano compositions.

Beyond teaching piano, Mary taught elementary school for one year before teaching English and Literature at Washington State University from 1957-1967. After retirement, Mary focused on a lifetime interest in photography, exhibiting and selling her photographs. She also published a book of her husband's letters after his death, as well as multiple books of her own letters and short stories. In the fall of 2000, she was honored by the mayor of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission with a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award. Mary was an active member of the community, participating in numerous groups and clubs and supporter of many humanitarian and liberal political causes.