Danette Claire (Johnsen) Tiernan was born in Merced, California on February 15, 1937 to Ben and Gladys (Dimberg) Johnsen. Her early years were spent in Murphys, Le Grand, and Oroville where Ben worked the gold dredges in the area until the family–including brother Marvin and sister Jeannine–relocated to Turlock in 1949.