Margie Willet rose to fame because of her marriage to her ex-husband, Dick Van Dyke. The couple was married for more than three decades.

Margie Willet preferred life away from the media despite being the wife of a popular actor, Dick Van.

She was a private person before and during her marriage.  

Overview Of The Life Of Margie

Margie Willet, born with the birth name, Marjorie Willett, was born in 1927, in Danville, Illinois.

She was of white Caucasian ethnicity and had American citizenship. She met Van Dyke in her hometown, Illinois, where she was born and raised,

Not much is known about her family, including, her parents, siblings, or personal life because she likes to keep her life private.

In a conversation with The Guardian, Dyke reminisces about Willett and describes who she indeed was. 

He claimed that Willet was highly creative and that we only saw Margie when she was out and about with her spouse. 

Even during the events, she would leave her husband to talk to other spectators.

Height, Weight & Physical Appearance

Willett disliked Hollywood and was a straightforward person. 

She avoided wearing makeup and kept her hair short. People were often perplexed by her appearance. She was either assumed to be Van Dyke’s mother or sister. 

Margie Ditched Her Ex Boyfriend For Dick Van Dyke

Margie Willet met Dick Van Dyke in her hometown, Illinois in 1947 for the first time. 

At that time, Dick was struggling in his career. Willett was referred to by Van Dyke as a local girl who he had known for years. 

Despite falling in love as teenagers, the couple’s surprisingly long-term relationship lasted almost four decades. Dick was 20 years old when they first began dating. 

Willet broke up with her ex-boyfriend at the time in order to date Van Dyke.

‘She had dated a boy who was on the football and wrestling teams all through high school. He intended to kill me when she left him for me.’ he claimed. 

After starting to date Willett, Van Dyke said that he and a friend established an advertising company. 

However, the company’s success was short-lived, and Van Dyke soon went back to his job as a high school intern at a nearby radio station. 

After dating for a month, they were engaged and relocated to Los Angeles to get married. 

On February 12, 1948, the couple exchanged vows during a live broadcast of the radio program Bride and Groom, whose producer had sponsored their marriage and honeymoon.

When the show’s producer approached them and offered to pay for their wedding if they agreed to get married on his show, they accepted the offer because they were too poor even to cover the costs of their own wedding. 

He also covered the cost of their romantic getaway. 

Before Van Dyke’s illustrious career began, they could also not purchase a home and were forced to live in their car for a period. 

The couple shares four children, named Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Beth Van Dyke, Stacy Van Dyke, and Christian Van Dyke 

She miscarried and lost twins in the early years of their relationship.

The Couple Share 4 Kids

Barry, their oldest son, is a seasoned performer, and marry is his wife’s his name. Carey, Taryn, Wes, and Shane are their four children. 

Carrie Beth, their second child, is an actress who has made appearances on her father’s shows along with her siblings and brothers. 

Christian, their third child, is also an actor, and he appeared in The Dick Van Dyke Show and Hollywood Goes to a World Premiere. Caroline A. Heller is the name of his wife and a daughter of the couple who passed away from Reye’s Syndrome. 

Stacy, the couple’s youngest child. She worked as an actor and played the lead in The New Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity.

The Couple Was Addicted To Drugs

The couple had addiction issues while they were married, Margie had a prescription medication addiction, and her spouse had an alcohol addiction.

They received treatment at the same rehab facility. The actor entered a hospital in 1972 to obtain alcoholism therapy. 

Sadly, Margie had to spend some time at the same hospital soon after for drug addiction to prescription medications. 

The Couple Parted Ways After Being Together For Around Thirty-Five Years

In 1984, they’re more than three-and-a-half-decade marriage came to an end after welcoming four children. Their divorce was brought about by Van Dyke’s betrayal of his wife. 

The wife of Dick Van Dyke began spending more time at the family’s ranch in the arid area. 

When Van Dyke began an illicit relationship with Michelle Triola, his agent’s secretary, their marriage began to have difficulties. 

They maintained their relationship a secret until Van Dyke, overcome with shame, told his wife about it in 1976. 

Triola was sued by her former live-in partner and actor Lee Marvin; he even gave her a six-figure sum.

Dick Van Dyke and Margie Willet experienced further severe issues, and the couple divorced on May 4, 1984.

She never got married again and stopped appearing in the media after her divorce. 

After divorcing, Dick Van Dyke married Triola, and when she passed away in 2009, he remarried Arlene Silver, a considerably younger makeup artist, in 2012. She is 46 years his junior. 

What Was Margie Willett’s Cause Of Death?

Margie Millet, the mother of four, received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2007. She battled the sickness for approximately a year but didn’t make it and died in 2008.

At the time of her passing, she was 81 years old. Margie Willett’s passing greatly saddened her Ex-Husband. 

Dick acknowledged losing a piece of himself with her death in an interview with the Guardian. 

Margie Willet’s Net Worth

Margie Willet’s net worth is unknown, although her ex-husband Dick Van Dyke is estimated to be over $110 million.

Her estimated net worth is $15 million, according to Abtc.ng. 

Final Verdict

The life of Margie Willett serves as an illustration of being an external participant in Hollywood. 

Willett’s connections to Dick Van Dyke are the only ones she ever had with Hollywood, and until her death, she led a life of grace and secrecy.