Who was Dick Van Dyke’s first wife, Margie Willett?

Margie was extremely private even before she married Dick, so information about her life is not readily available. In February 1948, she wed the renowned thespian. She was born in Illinois in 1927.

Before they began dating in 1945, Willet knew the performer for a number of years. She was a native of Danville, Illinois, where Van Dyke was born. At that time, Willet broke up with her ex-boyfriend in order to date Van Dyke.

In front of 15 million listeners, the two of them exchanged vows on the ABC program “Bride and Groom,” where more than 1,000 couples wed over the course of the program’s history. In return for their on-air weddings, the program paid for the couple’s honeymoon.

Sadly, after only a year since her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Dick’s first wife passed away in 2008. She had reached age 81. The actor was greatly impacted by the passing of Margie Willett.