Businesswoman. As a child took care of her father who had tuberculosis while her mother worked in a restaurant. In 1939 she started selling Stanley Home Products, working for them until 1952. On Sept 13, 1963 she launched Mary Kay Cosmetics on $5000.00. In 1968 Mary Kay, Inc. went public, and in 1969 she awarded five pink Cadillacs to its top five sales directors. In 1979 one of her independent consultants surpased $1 million in commissions. By 1983 Mary Kay, Inc. sales exceeded $300 million. In 1985 Mary Kay went back to private ownership with a $390 million leveraged buyout. Mary Kay Ash suffered a stroke in February 1996. Her business started with 9 beauty consultants; by the year 2001 that number was 800,000. The sales reported by the company in 2000 was $1.3 billion. During the period of Mary Kays life there were 151 women who earned more than $1 million in commissions. Also during this period more than 10,000 pink Cadillacs were awarded.  Family links:  Parents:  Edward Alexander Wagner (1878 – 1938)  Lula Hastings Wagner (1884 – 1968)  Spouses:  George Arthur Hallenbeck (1914 – 1963)*  Julius Ben Rogers (1915 – 1977)*  Melville Jerome Ash (1905 – 1980)*  Sibling:  Dealia C Wagner Koch (1903 – 1980)*  Mary Kay Ash (1918 – 2001) *Calculated relationship