Chuck DeKlyen was born in 1969 in Los Angeles, California, but spent the majority of his childhood in a large household in Portland, Oregon. Even as a young boy, Chuck had a love for the theatre and later went on to receive a BA in Drama at the University of Portland. His passion for the performing extends beyond drama into music and to this day he is still the drummer for a local rock band.

From a young age, Chuck was introduced to a world of community service and hospice ministry. During his childhood, Chuck's mother, Pat Schwiebert, was a hospice nurse and ran a soup kitchen which still weekly serves meals after all these years. Pat had already published a number of small books when she and Chuck decided to collaborate on the book Tear Soup, a recipe for healing after loss.

Chuck is blessed to share the chaos and daily joys of parenthood with his wife, Annie, and their two children, Morgan and Connor.