Bruno Borgova was born in Donkey Pass, Milwakee, the second of eight children. To support the large family, Bruno’s father worked on road construction for the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Nothing is known about his mother, other than that she was Irish-Cherokee.
Young Bruno grew up in a rustic home in the mountains with no electricity or water. At the age of 12 he rode a car for the first time. He was educated in a one-room schoolhouse. He met his future wife in school, whom he was to marry at age 13. By the time he reached 18 he had 4 children. Bruno supported his family by picking strawberries and doing laundry.