Marge Cooney was the first wife of legendary American talk-show host Phil Donahue — the woman he married long before fame, and the mother of his five children. While Donahue went on to revolutionise daytime television, Marge lived a quiet, private life devoted to her family and her faith.
If you are searching for her, here is the short version: Margaret “Marge” Cooney married Phil Donahue in 1958, raised five children with him, and divorced in 1975 after 17 years of marriage. She then stepped away from public life entirely, passing away in 2018. This article gathers what is reliably known about her life, her family and her enduring quiet legacy.
Marge Cooney: Quick Profile
| Full Name | Margaret “Marge” Cooney |
| Nationality | American |
| Known For | Being the first wife of Phil Donahue |
| Former Husband | Phil Donahue (married 1958, divorced 1975) |
| Children | Five — Michael, Kevin, Daniel, James and Mary Rose |
| Later Home | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Died | 2 February 2018 (aged 82) |
| Public Profile | Private; devoted to family and faith |
Who Was Marge Cooney?
Marge Cooney was an American woman whose name is remembered chiefly through her marriage to one of television’s most influential figures. She was not a public personality herself; she was a wife and, above all, a mother, who built a family during the years before her husband became a household name.
Throughout her life she avoided the spotlight that surrounded Phil Donahue, choosing instead a grounded existence centred on her children, her community and her religious faith. That quiet dignity is the thread that runs through her whole story.
Her Marriage to Phil Donahue
Marge Cooney and Phil Donahue were married on 1 February 1958, at the San Felipe de Neri Church in New Mexico. At the time, Donahue was a young man still finding his footing, years away from the television career that would make him famous.
Together they built a large family during the late 1950s and 1960s. As Donahue’s broadcasting career grew, the couple’s life changed dramatically, and the pressures that came with rising fame would eventually take their toll on the marriage.
Marge Cooney’s Five Children
The heart of Marge Cooney’s life was her children. She and Phil Donahue had five together, born across a seven-year span.
| Child | Born |
|---|---|
| Michael | 1959 |
| Kevin | 1960 |
| Daniel | 1961 |
| James (“Jim”) | 1963 |
| Mary Rose | 1965 |
Four sons and one daughter made for a busy, lively household. Raising five children, often while her husband’s career demanded long hours and travel, placed Marge firmly at the centre of family life.
The Divorce
After 17 years together, Marge Cooney and Phil Donahue divorced in 1975. By then his talk show had become a national phenomenon, and the gap between their public and private worlds had grown wide.
Following the divorce, the children were divided between them: Phil took custody of their four sons, while Marge cared for their daughter, Mary Rose. It was an amicable enough arrangement that allowed both parents to remain part of their children’s lives.
Phil Donahue: The Man She Married
To understand Marge Cooney’s place in television history, it helps to know what Phil Donahue achieved. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of the modern daytime talk show, the man who first brought the studio audience into the conversation and tackled serious, often controversial topics on air.
The Phil Donahue Show ran for decades and earned him a string of Emmy Awards, reshaping the format that hosts like Oprah Winfrey would later build upon. In 1980, five years after his divorce from Marge, Donahue married the actress Marlo Thomas, a union that lasted the rest of his life.
Donahue’s enormous success makes the contrast with Marge’s quiet life all the more striking — two people who shared 17 years and five children, then followed very different paths.
Life After Divorce
After the marriage ended, Marge Cooney moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her daughter Mary Rose. There she built the kind of life she seemed always to have wanted: private, faith-centred and rooted in community.
She was known for her involvement in church communities, including in Sea Girt, New Jersey, and Boca Raton, Florida. Friends and family remembered her as a devoted, warm and deeply principled woman who gave her time generously to others.
A Family Tragedy
Marge’s later years were touched by heartbreak. In 2014, her son James “Jim” Donahue died suddenly at the age of 51 from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Jim had carved out a respected career, working as an investigative researcher and writer before becoming a lawyer.
Losing a child is among the hardest experiences any parent can face, and Marge bore it, as she bore everything, with quiet strength and faith.
Her Death and Legacy
Marge Cooney died peacefully on 2 February 2018, at the age of 82. Her passing marked the end of a long life lived largely out of the public eye.
Her legacy is not measured in television ratings or awards, but in the family she raised and the steady, loving example she set. She is remembered as the devoted first wife and mother who stood at the beginning of Phil Donahue’s story — and who built a meaningful life entirely on her own quiet terms.
The Donahue Children’s Later Lives
Marge Cooney’s greatest legacy is her family, and her children went on to lead full lives of their own. Raised in a household that valued education and engagement with the world, several of them pursued careers in writing, law and public service.
Her son Jim, in particular, channelled the family’s interest in social issues into a career as an investigative researcher and writer before qualifying as a lawyer — work that echoed the questioning, conscience-driven spirit that defined his father’s television programme. The Donahue children remained close to both of their parents, a testament to the steady foundation Marge helped build during their early years.
A Pioneer’s Partner
It is easy, decades later, to think of Phil Donahue only as the polished, silver-haired host who interviewed presidents and challenged taboos on national television. But the man Marge Cooney married in 1958 was none of those things yet. He was a young broadcaster at the very start of his journey, and the years they spent together were the years that shaped him.
Behind every public figure who rises from ordinary beginnings, there is usually someone holding the home together — raising the children, managing the household and providing the stability that makes ambition possible. For 17 years, that someone was Marge. Her contribution does not show up in award citations, but it was real, and it mattered.
Faith and Community
If there was one constant throughout Marge Cooney’s life, it was her faith. Long after the marriage that briefly placed her near the spotlight had ended, she remained deeply involved in her church communities, giving her time to causes and people who needed it.
Those who knew her in Albuquerque, and later through congregations in New Jersey and Florida, described a woman of genuine warmth and conviction — someone who measured her life not by recognition but by service. It is a portrait that stands in gentle contrast to the glare of daytime television, and perhaps that is exactly how she would have wanted to be remembered.
Why People Still Remember Her
Marge Cooney never sought fame, yet her name endures because of the extraordinary life her former husband led and the five children they share. For fans of Phil Donahue and students of television history, she represents an important, often-overlooked chapter: the private origins of a very public man.
There is something quietly admirable about a person who, having been close to enormous celebrity, simply chose family, faith and a peaceful life instead. Her story is a reminder that history is full of such people — the partners, parents and quiet supporters whose names we only learn when we go looking, but whose influence runs through everything that follows.
Marge Cooney’s Net Worth
As with many private individuals connected to a famous name, questions about Marge Cooney’s net worth inevitably arise. The honest answer is that no reliable figure was ever made public. She was not a celebrity or a businesswoman in the public eye, and she never disclosed details of her personal finances.
What is clear is that she lived a comfortable but modest, family-centred life far from the wealth and glamour of the television world her former husband inhabited. For Marge, the measure of a life was never money, but family, faith and the quiet good she did in her community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Marge Cooney?
She was the first wife of talk-show host Phil Donahue and the mother of his five children.
When did Marge Cooney and Phil Donahue marry?
They married on 1 February 1958 and divorced in 1975.
How many children did they have?
Five — four sons (Michael, Kevin, Daniel and James) and one daughter, Mary Rose.
What happened to Marge Cooney after the divorce?
She moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and lived a private life devoted to family, faith and community.
When did Marge Cooney die?
She died on 2 February 2018, at the age of 82.
In the end, Marge Cooney’s story is a reminder that behind many famous names stands someone who chose family over fame — and who, in doing so, left a legacy of love and quiet strength all her own.
