 Suffredin was born October 5, 1947 in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and grew up in Westchester, Illinois.He was the first of eight children born to Lawrence J. Suffredin Sr., a World War II combat veteran, and Patricia Mulrainey Suffredin.His father worked as a Chicago policeman and then became the "Printer to South Water Market" as the owner of Chicago Produce Publishing Company which reported on the local fruit and vegetable market.