Mary Elizabeth Hepworth was born June 17, 1920. Her parents farmed near Shoal Lake. She received a scholarship to attend the University of Manitoba, graduating at the head of her class from the School of Home Economics in 1941. She furthered her education at the University of Minnesota obtaining an M.Sc. in 1943 and a Ph.D. in 1966. She began teaching at the University of Manitoba in the Foods and Nutrition Department in 1951. She served as Head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition, Associate Dean of the School of Home Economics, and Dean of the Faculty before her retirement in 1983. That same year she became Chair of the Canadian Home Economics Foundation, a position that she held until 2003. Dr. Feniak is a former President of the Provincial Council of Women (1976-1978). She was a recipient of the Y.W.C.A.'s Women of Distinction in 1982. In 1988 she became a member of the Order of Canada.