Fertitta grew up in Galveston, Texas; raised with two sisters by a single mom who saw to it that her daughter studied dance, jazz, and tap. She met Frank Fertitta, Jr., while in high school. They married and moved from Galveston to Las Vegas in 1960. Frank got a job as a bellman at the Tropicana, before becoming a dealer at the Stardust. He invested in his first casino in the mid-1970s. That investment eventually lead to the Station Casinos empire. She is proud of her own family, all raised as Rebel fans, and is grateful that all of her grandchildren have set down roots in Las Vegas. Her husband, Frank Jr., passed away in 2009. Her sons, Frank III and Lorenzo, have recently been spearheading efforts to build the new Fertitta Football Complex on campus.