Chris Coffin was born in Berkeley, California on July 7th, 1949 and moved to Turlock as an infant, where he was raised for the remainder of his childhood. Chris attended Turlock public schools, where he met Kathy Carlson, who would soon become his high school sweetheart and ultimate bride of 45 years. After graduating from Turlock High School, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business from California State University, Stanislaus.