Marge Cooney -Net Worth And Personal Life

Marge Cooney was popularly known as the ex-wife of American media personality, writer, and film producer Phil Donahue.

Before her marriage to Phil, Marge was not a known figure. Phil’s fame rubbed off on her, and she soon had media attention. Even after her marriage to Phil, Margie managed to live her entire life on a low profile, and as such, many details about her life are hard to come by.

Nonetheless, we have been able to gather all the information there is to know about Marge Cooney. So keep on reading as we take you through details of her life that are available at the moment.

Early Life & Education

Marge Cooney was born in West Orange, Margie, and spent up to 30 years of her life living in Chatham, New Jersey, and Boca Raton, Florida. Her exact date of birth, the names of her parents, as well as other details about her early life, are not known.

In terms of education, there is no information about her schooling years or any degrees earned. However, Marge is known to have studied at Marquette University. It was during her time in school she met Phil Donahue, who later became her husband.

Career

There is no information available about Marge Cooney’s professional career or other sorts of businesses. Her former husband, Phil Donahue, on the other hand, has been able to build a highly successful career in the entertainment industry.

Phil started his career working as a production assistant on WKYC-TV and KYW radio. Just after graduating from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1957, Phil began work as a program director for WABJ radio in Adrian, Michigan. In a turn of events, he later became CBS’s Morning News stringer.

Phil went on to work as an anchor at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. He also hosted a talk show titled Conversation Piece. From 1963 to 1967, Phil added his flavor to the show that was on WHIO radio. He has also been privileged to interview a host of celebrities and politicians such as President John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Hoffa, Mohammad Ali, Johnny Carson, and Billie Sol Estes. However, Phil’s time with WHIO-TV came to an end on the 6th of November 1967.

After WHIO-TV, Phil became the host of a new television show called the Phil Donahue Show, which was aired by WLWD. From the start of 1970, the show got a positive reception, and it was broadcasted by many other television and radio stations. The show made so much progress that in the year 1974, the show was in Chicago. Over ten years later, the show also went to America’s big apple, New York City.

Throughout his career, Phil Donahue has won several awards and recognitions. He has been awarded 20 Emmy Awards for his professional broadcasting career, and he has also been honored as Outstanding Talk Show Host up to 10 times. He also received an award for hosting his show The Phil Donahue Show.

Some of his other achievements include the 1980 Peabody Award and his draft into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame on the 20th of November, 1993.

Personal Life

Marge Cooney’s personal life is unknown, as many details about her life. However, before her death, Marge was a divorcee. She had previously been married to Phil Donahue.

Marge and Phil first started their relationship while they were in college. Phil was attending Notre Dame University at the time, while Marge was at Marquette University. It is unclear how or when exactly they met, but they soon became very intimate.

Marge Cooney and Phil Donahue got engaged in 1957, just after graduation from college. It wasn’t long after that the couple went on to tie the knot on the 1st of February 1958. The wedding was a private affair that hosted only their families, relatives, and close friends.

Throughout their marriage, Marge had four kids with Phil. Three sons and a daughter; Michael Donahue was born in 1959, Kevin Donahue was born in 1960, James Donahue was born in 1963, and Mary Rose Donahue was born in 1965. The couple stayed married for sixteen years before their divorce was settled in 1975. They never cited any reasons for their split. After their separation, Marge moved to Albuquerque, and she also won custody of their four sons.

After the divorce, Marge continued to live out the rest of her life away from media attention. She was a frequent parishioner at the St. Mark’s Church, Sea Girt. She also had a long-standing membership at the Spring Lake Golf Club. Selfless and passionate about doing some good, Marge was a community volunteer at the St. Joan of Arc Church, which she was also a member of during her stay in Boca Raton, Florida.

Marge Cooney passed away on the 2nd of February 2018. She was said to have been surrounded by her children and other members of her extended family.

Marge Cooney’s Net Worth

Marge Cooney did not have any known source of income or a career. She does not have an estimated assets because she never disclosed information about her finances while she was alive. However, her former husband, Phil Donahue, who built a successful career as a TV host, producer, and writer, amassed a large sum of money. As of 2021, Phil Donahue’s fortune was over $30.

Conclusion

There is so much about Marge Cooney that is unknown. This is because she was not a popular figure before she got married to Phil Donahue, and she stayed under the radar after her divorce from the TV personality. She is mostly recognized as Phil Donahue’s former wife.

She was married to Phil for more than 15 years, and they had five children together; four sons and a daughter. After she finalized her divorce from Phil, Marge won custody of her four children. She lived the remainder of her life with her children, hardly ever in the news, until the sad news of her passing in February 2018.