Margie Willett, Dick Van Dyke’s ex-wife, was a woman he met in the early 1950s and married twice; she also had a child with him. He divorced her in 2019 for unknown reasons.

Here are five facts about Margie Willett, Dick Van Dyke’s ex-wife: 

1) She was born on September 17, 1926.

2) Her ancestry is German and Irish.

3) Bipolar type, borderline personality disorder, and paranoid schizophrenia have all been identified in her.

4) Margie Willett took offence to the name “Margot” or “Margo” being use to refer to Dick Van Dyke’s second wife.

5) She had a child with her ex-husband. 

In an interview with a Swedish magazine, she said: “I’ve always thought of myself as just plain Margie.” Of course, Van Dyke did not share the same opinion himself. The two were married twice, in 1954 and 1959, and had a child together.

Margie Willett was born on September 17, 1926, in Philadelphia. Margie Willett grew up in Philly, Pennsylvania, and started as a secretary for the YMCA. When she married her first husband, Carl Kossowski Jr., she changed her last name to Kossowski and became Margie Willett-Kossowski. Willett-Kossowski handled all of Dick Van Dyke’s publicity when he was on the show Hogan’s Heroes from 1965 – 1971. At one point, she even went to work for him full-time.

Margie and Dick had a son named Richard Van Dyke, a TV producer, director, and writer. He has been married twice and has two children with his second wife, Leslie.

1. Willett married Van Dyke twice after leaving her high school boyfriend for him.

Willett met Dick Van Dyke in high school when they were 16. He had a car, and she was immediately smitten. She dumped her then-boyfriend, Raymond McCrann, and left him for Van Dyke. They were married in 1954, with the marriage lasting two years before they divorced.

The two remained friends until they married in 1959, only to divorce again after a year of marriage. She and Van Dyke remarried in 1963 until they divorced again in 1974.

– She Had a Child With Dick Van Dyke

Margie Willett married Dick Van Dyke in 1958 and had a son with the man. The two had one son together, Richard Van Dyke. Richard is a writer, actor, and producer who has been married twice with children from both marriages.

– The Couple Did Not Stay Together for a Long Time

The couple did not stay together for a long time as they divorced twice during their marriage. The couple was married in 1954 and divorced in 1955 before remarrying in 1959 and divorced again in 1974.

– She Married Dick Van Dyke Twice

Willett married Dick Van Dyke twice, and the latter marriage did not last a year. The couple got remarried in 1963 and divorced in 1974. They stayed together until their divorce.

– She and Dick had a Child Together.

She and Dick had a child, Richard Van Dyke, who is also an actor and producer. He has been married twice, Leslie Newman and Sara Powell, with two children from his second marriage.

2. The couple wed on a radio program, then got divorced once more.

Willett and Van Dyke were married in 1954 on the “The Romance of Helen Trent” radio show. The two were married for two years before they divorced, much to the audience’s shock.

– She Married Dick Van Dyke Twice- Even After His Death

She married Dick Van Dyke twice and divorced him a second time soon after he died in 2019. Their marriage lasted only four years before it ended due to the couple’s incompatibility.

3. After having a miscarriage in the late 1940s, Willett and Van Dyke were forced out of their Malibu apartment. They later had four children and got remarried in 1954.

Willett and Van Dyke were married in the 1940s, but because they constantly fought, they were evicted from their Malibu apartment. Willett suffered a miscarriage, and the two became more passionate about having children after moving into a new apartment. They had four children together, amazingly, considering that they divorced twice.

4. Willett preferred the family’s ranch in Arizona and wasn’t a fan of Hollywood.- Which is Where She & Van Dyke Would Spend Their Final Years Together

Willett wasn’t a fan of Hollywood and preferred the family’s ranch in Arizona, where she and Van Dyke would spend their later years. While Dick lived on their ranch, Margie moved across town to care for her mother.

– They Were the Best of Friends After Enduring 54 Years of Marriage

Willett adored Dick Van Dyke and loved him until his last days. She and Van Dyke were inseparable until his death. They married in 1954, remarried in 1963, and divorced for the first time in 1974 to remarry again in 1981. They remained close until Dick’s death from bladder cancer on December 5, 2019, at 93.

– Margie Died in March 2019

In March 2019, Margie Willett lost her battle with cancer. On April 12, she passed away at the age of 91. Her friends and family celebrated her life at a party in Los Angeles shortly after her death.

They Met in High School & Married Two Times- Then Divorced Again Twice

Willett and Dick Van Dyke were both 16 years old when they first met at Chapin High School.

5. While Van Dyke battled alcoholism, Willett entered rehab for an antidepressant addiction- Then Divorced Again

While Dick battled alcoholism, Willett entered treatment for an antidepressant addiction. Dick’s alcoholism caused him to cheat on Margie and even sleep with her sister, causing a divorce. The couple divorced in 1974, remarried in 1981, and divorced again in 1984. Dick was sober by then, and Margie was not interested in getting back together immediately. She insisted on staying friends, and they spent all their time together until her death.

CONCLUSION- Willett & Van Dyke Were One Great Couple

There are so many ways that these two were similar and perfect for each other, but they were not necessarily the best match due to their differences that could never be reconciled. They were best friends and inseparable before everything until Willett died in 2019. Willett was a beautiful woman with a big heart who gave out love to many people.