Freda Mae (Rustemeyer) De Pillis

Freda Mae Rustemeyer was born and raised on a farm outside Linn, Missouri ; her parents were Fred and Julia (Bogler) Rustemeyer, and she had three sisters: Dorothy, Marcella, and Mary Ellen. She worked in Japan with the occupation forces of the U.S. Army, as a clerk in the Adjutant General's office, 1947-1949.

Upon her return to the U.S., she attended the University of Chicago, earning a Master of Social Work degree in 1954. While there, she met and married a fellow student, Mario S. De Pillis, who became a professor of history; they had three sons: Vincent, Mario, Jr., and Alexander. The family lived in Chicago, New Haven, Conn., and Berkeley, Calif., before settling in Amherst, Mass. FMD pursued her profession of social work in all these places.