Wendy Leclezio was born in Northern Rhodesia (present day Zambia) in 1942 to Lovel and Gwendoline "Bunty" Whitaker. She was the second of two children. Wendy's father was Catholic and her mother was Anglican. Wendy saw to it that her mother was confirmed a Catholic and received the sacrament of the sick before she died. Wendy was raised a Catholic. Wendy experienced a happy childhood. Her maternal grandmother lived with her family, enriching Wendy's life enormously. During Wendy's childhood, the Whitaker family lived on a farm at which time Wendy attended a Dominican boarding school in King Williamstown in the South African Cape Province. Thereafter Wendy's parents owned a hotel by the sea near Port Elizabeth. Wendy enjoyed her boarding school days during which time Wendy was blessed with the privilege of attending daily Mass. When talking about her boarding school experiences, she would also mention her friends, playing field hockey, taking cold showers, and swimming.