De Marrs was raised in a small farming community on the eastern plains of Colorado before going to the University of Northern Colorado for her nursing degree. Her first nursing position was in Portland Oregon where she practiced neonatal nursing. She completed her masters degree and her pediatric nurse practitioner certification at the Oregon Health Sciences University.

De and her husband, Dan, have two children, Nathan and Allyson. De enjoys reading, hiking, camping and spending her leisure time as lead taxi driver and fan of middle school athletics.