Charlyne Mills was born in Santa Anna, November 2, 1928.  Her parents were Frank and Ola (Smedley) Mills.  Charlyne grew up in Coleman, spending the first seven years of her life living with her family in the Coleman County jail.  Her father, Frank Mills, was sheriff of Coleman County at that time, and the family resided in the jail.  She was graduated from Coleman High School in 1946.

Jodie Merle Griffith, son of Jodie Edwin and Annie (Bradley) Griffith, was born October 30, 1921 at Glen Cove.  Merle and Charlyne were married in Coleman on April 17, 1948.  He had ranching and cattle interests in Coleman County and sold several cattle auctions in central Texas at that time.  In May 1953, they moved to Clovis, New Mexico, where Merle continued his cattle business and was an auctioneer for Clovis Cattle Commission Company and the Amarillo Cattle Commission Company in Amarillo.  The couple had two daughters: Jodie Fran and Kay Lynn.  In July 1960, Merle and Charlyne with the girls moved to San Angelo.  On August 10, 1960, Merle was fatally injured in an automobile accident while returning from an auction sale in Wichita Falls.  After Merle’s untimely death, Charlyne, Jodie and Kay Lynn lived in Coleman until August 1962, when they moved to San Marcos.  Charlyne went back to school, received her degree from Southwest Texas State Univerity in 1967.  She taught at San Marcos High School from 1968 to 1980.  During these years she attended several different schools and traveled extensively.  At the present time Charlyne lives in San Antonio and is tour director for Thompson Travel Bureau, Inc. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.