Samuel DeStefano, Jr. was born in Streator, Illinois, into the Italian-American family of Samuel DeStefano, Sr., and Rosalie DeStefano (née Brasco), both of whom had been born in Italy and had immigrated to the United States in 1903. Destefano, Sr., was a laborer and, later on in life, a grocer and real estate salesman who died of natural causes in 1942, at age 77. Rosalie was a housewife, who throughout her life was supported by the contributions of her children. She died in October 1960. In all, the DeStefanos had seven children, three sons and four daughters. Not long after his birth, Sam DeStefano and his family moved to Herrin, Illinois, where his father worked in the local coal mine. After the labor-related turmoil surrounding the Herrin Massacre, the DeStefano family moved north to Chicago's Little Italy.