Charles Robert Carraher was born on August 28, 1923 in Kankakee, Illinois to Frank and Kathryn Sobol Carraher. He was the second of six children. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. He was sent to the Philippines and was shot. He was awarded the Purple Heart due to his injuries. He was honorably discharged in 1946. In September of 1950, he married Ina Mae Bass in Henderson, Kentucky. To this marriage, six children were born. On February 28, 1999, Charles Carraher died in Kankakee, Illinois. He was survived by his wife and four of his six children. He is buried at Mound Grove Cemetery in Kankakee.