Background and Age

Maria Stephanos was born in 1964 in Groveland, Massachusetts. Maria inherited her charm from her father, a beauty salon designer and salesman who was good at getting people to open up when their impulse was to slam the door in his face. Her grandmother was a talk radio addict and among her favorites were Gene Burns and Jerry Williams. The death of Elvis Presley was first real news awakening, "My parents were transfixed to the television. I'd never seen them so focused on something. It captured my attention."

Maria's first job was waitressing at the Village Pancake House in Rowley, MA. She also worked at the Club Casino at Hampton Beach where she saw some of the greatest bands and comedians perform. Maria is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston where she received both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mass Communications. Stephanos's interest in storytelling took her to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then to Emerson College, where she says she soared. "I never set out to be on TV, I just wanted to be a reporter or even someone behind the scenes handling equipment."

Marriage, Husband, and Kids

Maria and Dale met each other in Junior High School. They were fixed up for a date by his mother. They ended up being high school sweethearts. She talked about their first date in an interview, "In Groveland, of course! My boyfriend at the time had just moved to Groveland from Swampscott and I think we walked home together in two feet of snow. That’s what we tell our kids anyway".

Her husband, Dale is an artist. His stunning celebrity portraits, Neil Young and Muddy Waters among them adorn the hallway of their home. The illustrator's work has appeared in national magazines including Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.

Their children, Isabella and Liam attended Igo Elementary and Ahern Middle School. Isabella went to Foxboro High School, where she captained the swim team; Liam played baseball and attended Xaverian High School.