Mary Rommely is Katie's, Sissy's, and Evy's mother and Francie's maternal grandmother. She and her husband immigrated to the United States from Austria. She insists that her four daughters learn to speak only English so that they will not understand their father's abuse. He speaks only German. Mary is a strong woman, who believes that getting an education and owning a plot of land are the ways to escape poverty and succeed in their new land. Mary is deeply religious and tells Katie after Francie is born that she must teach her child about the supernatural, including ghosts and fairy tales. Mary also tells Katie that her children must read every day from the two most important books published, a Bible and something from Shakespeare. Mary also tells Katie to create a bank and begin saving money to buy land.