Lynn Johnston was born in Ontario and currently resides in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. She is the first woman to receive the Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society. She has also received the Order of Canada. Lynn began For Better or For Worse in 1979. She told the saga of the Pattersons for 29 years, until August of 2008, when she retired from the daily production of new strips and storylines.