 Saffold was born in Lexington, Mississippi but later moved with his family to Chicago in search of better education and financial opportunities.He is the eldest of six children to the union of his father, Monroe Sr. and mother Dixie Saffold.He and his wife Patricia raised two children Brian Saffold and Nicole Saffold Maskiell in Oak Park from 1980 to 2001 and has been a resident of in River Forest, Illinois since 2001.