Born as Minnie Liechtenstein in Dallas, Texas, her father Meyer Lichtenstein had emigrated from Königsberg, Germany, whilst her mother Hattie Mittenthal had come from Russia via Peoria, Illinois.
In 1928, she and her husband took an extensive trip to Europe while her son Stanley worked with Mr. Neiman and an expanding group of employees in the constantly growing enterprise.
After their return, they discovered that her son Stanley and A. L. Neiman had clashed on many issues and that Carrie had been told first hand about her husband's marital infidelities.
The World War II years brought duties to Neiman Marcus the store as rationing and other realities set in and to Minnie's sons via the Selective Service System and other government programs.
Her husband, Herbert, died in December 1950, and his sister, Carrie in March 1953 leaving Stanley as CEO and her younger sons as other executives of the expanding retail chain.