Schuckardt was born in Seattle, Washington on July 10, 1937 to Frank and Gertrude Schuckardt. Francis graduated from O'Dea High School in 1954 and from Seattle University in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in education and linguistics. After college, he enrolled in the seminary but dropped out before the year ended due to ill health. He began teaching high school in Seattle and worked as a linguistic research analyst.