Susan Deixler: The Untold Story of Barry Manilow’s First Wife and Her Quiet, Remarkable Life

Some stories don’t begin on a stage or under a spotlight. They begin in a Brooklyn hallway, between two teenagers who had no idea what life had in store for them. Susan Deixler is one of those stories. She married a young, ambitious boy named Barry Manilow in 1964 — long before the world knew his name. Their marriage was brief. But Susan’s story? That lasted a lifetime. And it turns out, it’s far more interesting than most people realize.

Quick Facts: Susan Deixler

Who Is Susan Deixler?

Susan Deixler is an American former care manager and holistic healer. She is widely known as the first wife of legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow. They married in 1964 and separated after about a year. However, Susan went on to build a meaningful life of her own. She served West Marin Senior Services in California for over 30 years. She is the mother of two children and retired in 2024.

Early Life and Background

Susan Deixler was born in Brooklyn, New York, in August 1944. She grew up in a warm, close-knit family. Her parents, Natasha and Al Deixler, provided her with a stable and nurturing environment. Brooklyn in the 1940s and 1950s was lively, diverse, and full of culture. It shaped her into someone grounded and community-minded.

From an early age, Susan showed real character. She was curious, sociable, and genuinely kind to everyone around her.

Family and Early Influences

At Eastern District High School, Susan was a popular student. She participated in the chorus, the Chemistry Squad, the Bowling Club, and swimming. She also served as student government president in her senior year. Think about that — she wasn’t just someone’s girlfriend. She was a leader in her own right.

A former classmate described her as “bubbly,” adding, “There was no one who did not like Susan.” That tells you everything about who she was — and still is.

She had taken piano lessons and was very supportive of Barry’s musical ambitions even before anyone thought he would be famous. That generosity of spirit would define her for the rest of her life.

Education and Career Journey

Career Beginnings

After her marriage ended in the mid-1960s, Susan stepped away from public life immediately. She launched her professional life as a secretary in New York, but this job was just an entry point. She later transitioned into nursing and alternative healing.

Those career shifts weren’t random. They reflected who Susan truly was — someone drawn to helping others, not chasing headlines.

She eventually moved to California. She has lived in West Marin for over 50 years and deeply understands the challenges of aging in such a rural area. That is where she found her true calling.

Career Timeline

Rise to Quiet Purpose

Susan came to West Marin Senior Services first as a volunteer, over 30 years ago, while taking care of an aging neighbor who had no family close by. That single act of kindness changed the course of her career.

She didn’t plan to become a community leader. It happened naturally because of who she was.

Susan assists in getting home care to older adults who need it. She helps with rides, home-delivered meals, and emotional support. She laboriously educates her clients and their families, building trust and respect every step of the way.

Major Achievements

Susan is credited with establishing the Senior Swim Program at Heart’s Desire Beach and a community food pantry to ensure local seniors have access to fresh, high-protein food. These are real, lasting contributions to real people’s lives.

She is often described as a “West Marin Original” and was honoured for her decades of commitment to elder care. In a small community, that kind of recognition means everything.

What makes this unique is that she achieved all of this without celebrity, without cameras, and without anyone writing think-pieces about her. She just showed up — every single day.

Net Worth and Income Sources

Susan Deixler never pursued fame or fortune. Her financial story reflects the choices she made — rooted in service rather than status.

Net Worth Breakdown

How She Made Her Money

Susan Deixler’s financial independence came from her professional fields. She led a modest and private life, letting her career and family be the centerpiece rather than a life of wealth or fame.

She also worked as a Site Administrator at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine before focusing fully on elder care. Her career path was always about purpose, not paychecks.

Personal Life and Lifestyle

Relationships and Family

After her marriage to Barry Manilow ended, Susan chose a quietly independent path. She never remarried, but she went on to have two children — Pauline and Danny.

Susan has kept to herself, living a quiet life in a California town with just over 350 residents. Point Reyes Station, where she settled, is a peaceful coastal community — the opposite of a celebrity zip code.

She describes herself as “fiercely independent,” which is the same term she uses affectionately for her elderly clients. That self-awareness is both funny and deeply telling.

She even brought her rescue dog, Peaches — a Chihuahua — to work with her on home visits. She and Peaches are trained in the art of animal support, and Susan finds that Peaches often breaks down barriers and creates more comfort with new clients.

Interestingly, that image — a woman and her rescue dog visiting lonely seniors in rural California — feels like the real story here. Far more than any celebrity marriage.

What Makes Susan Deixler Unique

Most people connected to famous musicians get swept into that orbit. Susan did the opposite. She stepped away completely and built something real.

She didn’t write a tell-all memoir. She didn’t appear on reality TV. She didn’t monetize her connection to Barry Manilow. Instead, she chose peace over fame, family over attention, and a quiet life over the spotlight.

Moreover, when Barry publicly came out as gay in 2017, the world waited to see how she would react. Her response was both graceful and generous. She told the Daily Mail, “I wish him well. I’m happy for him. I’m glad that he’s found love and happiness.”

She added: “You have to remember that I’m not a celebrity. I have children, a life… all that was a long time ago. I’m a private person but I’m happy for him. I really am.”

That is the response of someone who has genuinely moved on — with grace, maturity, and no bitterness at all. It speaks volumes.

Key Relationships and Turning Points

The most defining turning point in Susan Deixler’s life came in 1964. Barry Manilow married his high school sweetheart Susan Deixler right after graduation. Their union lasted just one year.

Barry later said: “I was in love with Susan. I just was not ready for marriage. I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats — I was too young. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”

He has also described her as the “perfect wife” — making clear that the failure of the marriage had nothing to do with her character. It was simply a case of wrong timing, and a young man not yet knowing himself fully.

Barry was briefly married to Susan Deixler while he was studying at the New York College of Music. Soon after, he found his true path — both musically and personally.

For Susan, that moment could have been devastating. But she chose to see it differently. She filed for an annulment, moved forward, and rebuilt her life on her own terms. That resilience became the foundation of everything that followed.

Challenges, Struggles, and Controversies

Susan Deixler has faced no public controversies. Her challenges were private and personal — as most people’s are.

Being married briefly to someone who became globally famous comes with its own quiet burden. People ask questions for decades. Journalists knock. Tabloids speculate. Yet Susan handled it all with remarkable dignity.

Barry Manilow has consistently mentioned that his marriage to Susan ended because he was not ready to settle down and wanted to focus entirely on his music career. He described leaving her to pursue a “wondrous musical adventure” and admitted he could not be a “proper husband” because he was away every night making music.

Susan never publicly contradicted him. She never sought sympathy or revenge. Furthermore, she never leveraged the connection for personal gain. In a culture that often rewards bitterness and drama, that restraint is its own kind of achievement.

Public Image, Influence, and Legacy

Susan Deixler’s public image is simple: she is liked by everyone who has ever met her. West Marin Senior Services describes her as someone who builds trust and respect every step of the way with her clients and their families.

Her legacy is not built on fame. It is built on thirty years of showing up for vulnerable people in a rural California community. It is built on a food pantry, a swim program for seniors, and a rescue chihuahua named Peaches.

She retired from caregiving service in 2024 at the age of 79. That is a career worth celebrating.

Interesting and Lesser-Known Facts

Here are some things most people don’t know about Susan Deixler:

• She served as student government president in her senior year at Eastern District High School — the same school where she met Barry Manilow.
• She worked as a Site Administrator at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, showing her long interest in holistic health.
• She came to West Marin Senior Services first as a volunteer, while helping an aging neighbor who had no family nearby — not as a paid employee.
• Her rescue dog, Peaches, joined her on home visits and in the office as a trained animal support companion.
• She lives in a California town with just over 350 residents — one of the smallest communities imaginable for someone connected to one of music’s biggest names.
• Public information about her exact birth year varies slightly across sources, with most pointing to approximately 1944 or 1945.

Related Celebrities and Comparisons

Susan Deixler shares something with a number of women who were once attached to famous men — but who chose to define themselves differently afterward.

She is often compared to other “first wives” of musicians who quietly moved on while their former partners became icons. However, what sets Susan apart is the depth of her professional contribution. She didn’t just move on personally. She built a career that genuinely mattered to her community.

Barry Manilow, meanwhile, went on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 80 million records sold worldwide. He later married his longtime partner, Garry Kief, in 2014. Manilow didn’t publicly come out as gay until 2017.

Both lives took very different shapes. But interestingly, both seem to have found genuine happiness — just in very different ways.

Where Are They Now — 2026 Update

As of 2026, Susan Deixler is living quietly in Point Reyes Station, California. She retired from caregiving service in 2024 at approximately age 79. After more than three decades of elder care work, she has finally stepped back from her professional role.

She remains a beloved figure in her small coastal community. She has two adult children, Pauline and Danny, who are part of her daily life.

She is not present on any social media platform — which, for someone of her values, is entirely consistent.

She has no plans, as far as public information suggests, to write a memoir or seek the spotlight. For Susan Deixler, the chapter on fame closed in 1966. Everything since then has been hers alone.

FAQs About Susan Deixler

1. Who is Susan Deixler?

Susan Deixler is an American former care manager and holistic healer. She is best known as the first wife of legendary singer Barry Manilow. They were married briefly in 1964 before separating in approximately 1965–1966.

2. Why did Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow divorce?

Barry Manilow said he was “in love with Susan” but was “not ready for marriage” because he was focused on pursuing his music career. The separation was mutual, and he has spoken warmly of her ever since.

3. Did Susan Deixler remarry after Barry Manilow?

Susan never remarried, but she went on to have two children, Pauline and Danny. Public information about the father or fathers of her children is limited.

4. What did Susan Deixler do for a career?

Susan served as Senior Services Manager for West Marin Senior Services for over 30 years. She also established the Senior Swim Program at Heart’s Desire Beach and a community food pantry for local seniors. She retired in 2024.

5. How did Susan Deixler react when Barry Manilow came out as gay?

She expressed happiness for him, saying, “I wish him well. I’m happy for him. I’m glad that he’s found love and happiness.” Her response was widely praised for its grace and warmth.

Conclusion

Susan Deixler could have spent her life defined by one year of marriage to a famous man. She chose not to. Instead, she spent decades quietly changing lives in a small California community — one elderly neighbor, one home visit, one food pantry at a time.

Her story is a reminder that significance doesn’t require a spotlight. Sometimes the most remarkable lives are the ones lived far from the cameras, in places where 350 people know your name and all of them are glad they do.

Barry Manilow found fame. Susan Deixler found something rarer — purpose, peace, and a life entirely her own. And honestly? That might be the better story.