| | | | Part One: Can't Leave Till the Dog Dies |
| 1 | Redcliffe | Whitshank | Junior's son. Aka: Red. |
| | Abigail | Whitshank | Red's wife. Aka: Abby Dalton, Abby. |
| | Dennis | Whitshank | Red and Abby's son. Aka: Denny. |
| | Jean Ann | | Red and Abby's daughter. Aka: Jeannie. |
| | Amanda | | Red and Abby's elsest daughter. Aka: Mandy. |
| | Douglas Alan | O'Brian | Red and Abby's ward. Aka: Stem Whitshank, Stem. |
| | | | Abby's orphans - misfits and loners |
| | Mrs. | Mallon | One of Abby's orphans. |
| | Barbara Jane | Autry | Abby's more irksome orphan. Aka: B. J. Autry. |
| | Clarence | | Abby's dog. |
| | Dr. Richard | Hancock | Denny's therapist. Aka: Hankie. |
| | Amy | Lin | Denny's girlfriend. |
| | Dr. | Lin | Amy's father. |
| | Grandma | Dalton | Abby's mother. |
| | Carla | Whitshank | Denny's wife. |
| | Lena | Carlucci | Carla's mother. |
| | Susan | | Denny's daughter. |
| | Mr. | Dale | One of Abby's orphans. |
| | Elise | Baylor | Amanda's daughter. |
| | Deb | | Jeannie's daughter. |
| 2 | Jurvis Roy | Whitshank | Red's father. Aka: Junior, Junie. |
| | Clyde L. | Ward | Building contractor. |
| | Linnie Mae | Inman | Junior's wife. |
| | Ernest | Brill | Textile manufacturer. |
| | Mrs. | Brill | Ernest's wife. |
| | Merrick | | Junior's daughter. Aka: Bean, Mare. |
| | Pookie | Vanderlin | Merrick's best friend from fourth grade. |
| | Walter | Barrister III | Pookie's fiancé. Aka: Trey. |
| | Walter | Barrister I | Founder of Barrister Financial. |
| | Eula | Barrister | Trey's mother. Aka: Queen Eula. |
| | Tucky | Bennett | Pookie's admirer. |
| | Hugh | Baylor | Amanda's husband. Aka: Amanda's Hugh. |
| | Hugh | | Jeannie's husband. Aka: Jeannie's Hugh. |
| 3 | Nora | | Stem's wife. |
| | Petey | | Stem's oldest son. |
| | Sammy | | Stem's youngest son. |
| | Tommy | | Stem's son. |
| | Marge | Ellis | Whitshanks's neighbor. |
| | Brenda | | Whitshanks's new dog. |
| | | De'Ontay | Red's employee. |
| | Mrs. | Girt | Whitshanks's housekeeper. |
| | Lois | Angell | Jeannie's in mother-in-law. |
| | Miguel | | One of Jeannie's Hugh's co-workers. |
| | Luis | | One of Jeannie's Hugh's co-workers. |
| | Heidi | | Stem and Nora's dog. |
| | Lawrence D. | O'Brian | Stem's biological father. Aka: Lonesome O'Brian. |
| | Peg | Brown | Worked at Denny's nursery school. |
| | Barbara Jane | Eames | Stem's biological mother. |
| | Patricia | | Amanda's friend. |
| 4 | | | Eddie's - local grocery store |
| | Sax | Brown | One of Whitshanks's neighbors. |
| | Atta | | One of Abby's orphans. |
| | Madame | O'Leary | Elise's ballet teacher. |
| | | Nelsons | One of Whitshanks's neighbors. |
| | Darcy | | Amanda's Hugh's cousin. |
| | Alexander | | Jeannie's son. |
| 5 | Mrs. | Bruce | Stem's client. |
| | Ree | Bascomb | Abby's friend. |
| 6 | Dr. | Wiss | Gerontologist. |
| | Dane | Quinn | Red's old friend. Abby's ex-boyfriend. |
| | Carol | Dunn | One of Abby's friends. |
| 7 | Louisa | Hutchinson | The one who phoned the Whitshanks of Abby's accident. |
| | Bill | | Louisa's husband. |
| | Sue Ellen | Moore | Red and Abby's old friend. |
| | Reverend | Stock | Retired pastor at Hampden Fellowship. |
| | Edwin | Alban | Stock's successor. Aka: Eddie. |
| 8 | Jeeter | | Ree's tabby cat. |
| | Sissy | Bailey | Owner of the apartment that Red might buy. |
| | Helen | Wylie | Whitshanks's real-estate friend. |
| | Marilee | Hodges | Jeannie and Amanda's aqcuintance. |
| | | | Part Two: What a World, What a World |
| 9 | Mrs | Vincent | Abby's old neighbor. |
| | Ruth | | Abby's old friend. |
| | Bertie | Stephenson | Dane's father's college roommate. |
| | George | | Dane's cousin. |
| | Ward | Rainey | Red's old friend. |
| | Mitch | | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | Earl | | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | Landis | | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | Pixie | Kincaid | One of Merrick's friends. |
| | Maddie | Lane | One of Merrick's friends. |
| | Louise | | Linnie Mae's aunt. |
| | Mr. | Barkalow | One of Junior's neighbor. |
| | Dick | Quinn | Dane's father. |
| | | | Part Three: A Bucket of Blue Paint |
| 10 | Mr. | Muldoon | Managed the mica mines. |
| | Eugene | | Junior's best painter. |
| | Guy | | Louise's husband. |
| | Dodd | McDowell | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | Cary | | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | Martha | Moffat | Linnie Mae's friend. |
| | Tommy | Shuford | Martha's husband. |
| | Dean | Trouble | Builds fine furniture. |
| | Bess | Davies | Junior's landlady. |
| 11 | Mary | | Martha's twin sister. |
| | Jonas | Inman | Linnie Mae's grandfather. |
| | Loretta Carroll | Inman | Linnie Mae's grandmother. |
| | Mrs. | Honeycutt | One of Junior's client. |
| | Jimmy | | Junior's brother. |
| | Freddy | | Martha's brother. |
| | Clifford | | One of Linnie Mae's brother. |
| | Brandon | | One of Linnie Mae's brother. |
| | Mr. | Inman | Linnie Mae's father. |
| | Raymond | | Junior's brother-in-law. |
| 12 | Cora Lee | | Junior and Linnie Mae's new landlady. |
| | Bertha | | Owner of a diner. |
| | Joe | Murphy | Cora's husband. |
| | Gary | Sherman | One of Junior's workmen. |
| 13 | Mrs. | Abbott | One of Junior and Linnie Mae's neighbor. |
| | Doris | Nivers | Linnie Mae's friend and neighbor. |
| | Mr. | Early | One of Junior and Linnie Mae's neighbor. |
| | Hank | Lothian | One of Junior's workmen. |
| | | | Part Four: A Spool of Blue Thread |
| 14 | Alison | | Denny new girlfriend. Aka: Allie. |
| | Sandy | | A hurricane. |
