Mary Holt Yearns was born in Ames, Iowa on August 5, 1941. She graduated from high school in Arispe, Iowa. She went on to attend Iowa State University where she received her B.S. (1963) in home economics education, an M.S. (1972) in family environment (housing), and her Ph.D. (1984) in sociology. After receiving her B.S. Yearns taught in several public schools across the Midwest.



Yearns joined the faculty at Iowa State with a joint appointment as Instructor (1971-1974) in the Department of Family Environment, then a department in the College of Home Economics, and as Extension Specialist (1971-1973) in home management. She was promoted to Assistant Professor (1974-1985), Associate Professor (1985-2005), and Professor (2005-2010). During her career, Yearns was able to devote most of her attention to extension activities and public service as an Extension Specialist (1973-1976) in housing and home management, Extension Specialist (1976-1990) in family environment (housing), and Extension Housing Specialist (1990-2010). Yearns retired from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, a department of the College of Human Sciences, in 2010.



The extension work Yearns specialized in was on home renovation projects and energy efficiencies in the home. She was named the leader of the Home Energy Audit Program and the co-leader of the Modest Home Makeover Program. The Modest Home Makeover Program, which received grant funding from 1985 to 1987, provided residents of Iowa with the opportunity to explore ways to make improvements to their homes on a limited budget. Yearns also explored the possibilities of designing homes, primarily kitchen layouts and appliances, to be better suited for elderly and disabled people. She wrote dozens of publications and gave numerous presentations on these topics throughout her career.



For her work Yearns was rewarded with many honors and recognitions. She received the Outstanding Extension Educator Award (1979), the University Extension Achievement Award (1985, 1988) and was elected to Epsilon Sigma Phi (Extension Honorary). She served as President (1986) of the American Association of Housing Educators and was actively involved in the Iowa Home Economics Association. She also served as Chair (1980-1981) of Iowa State's Faculty Council.



Yearns is married to Kerald E. Yearns.