Susan Deixler: Barry Manilow’s First Wife and Her Quiet Life Beyond Fame

Susan Deixler is best known as the first wife and high-school sweetheart of legendary singer Barry Manilow, but her life did not end when their short marriage did. Long before Manilow became famous for songs such as Mandy and Copacabana, the two knew each other as young students in Brooklyn. They married in 1964, but the relationship ended soon afterward. Today, interest in Susan Deixler remains strong because she chose a very different life from her famous former husband—one built largely around privacy and community service.

Quick Bio of Susan Deixler

Who Is Susan Deixler?

Susan Deixler became known to the public mainly because of her connection to Barry Manilow.

Unlike Manilow, however, Susan never built a career around entertainment or celebrity.

Their story began before fame.

Barry Manilow grew up in Brooklyn and attended Eastern District High School. It was during his school years that he met Susan. Reliable biographies of Manilow confirm that Susan was his high-school sweetheart.

The young couple eventually decided to marry.

At that time, neither of them could have known just how famous Manilow would later become.

Today, his career has lasted more than six decades, while Susan has spent most of her adult life outside the spotlight.

That difference is one of the biggest reasons people remain curious about her.

Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow Met in High School

Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow knew each other when they were teenagers in Brooklyn.

They attended Eastern District High School, where Manilow graduated in 1961.

Music was already becoming an important part of his life. During his younger years, he learned piano and began thinking seriously about a future in music.

Susan was part of his life during this early period.

This was years before millions of people knew his name.

There were no huge concerts, famous records, Las Vegas shows, or international fans yet.

They were simply two young people building their lives.

That makes Susan’s place in Manilow’s story quite different from many celebrity relationships. She knew him before the fame and before his career became his main focus.

When Did Susan Deixler Marry Barry Manilow?

Susan Deixler married Barry Manilow in 1964.

Manilow was still very young and was only beginning to find his way professionally.

The marriage did not last long.

Reliable sources say the relationship ended after roughly a year, and the marriage was formally annulled in 1966.

This happened before Manilow reached the level of fame that would later define his life.

His first major commercial success was still years away.

During the 1960s, Manilow worked on music, arranging and advertising jingles. He later worked with Bette Midler before developing his successful solo recording career.

Why Did Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow Separate?

The reason behind Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow’s separation has attracted plenty of attention over the years.

Manilow has spoken about the marriage himself.

He has said that he loved Susan but was simply too young and was not ready to settle down.

His growing passion for music also played a major role.

According to accounts of his personal life, Manilow believed he needed to follow his musical ambitions. He later described Susan in very positive terms while admitting that his youth and desire for a music career put pressure on the marriage.

In a later interview reported by People and repeated by other publications, Manilow explained that he had genuinely been in love with Susan but was not prepared for marriage at that stage of his life.

That distinction is important.

The marriage did not simply end because the two disliked each other.

Instead, their lives were moving in different directions.

Was Their Breakup Related to Barry Manilow’s Sexuality?

This question became especially common after Barry Manilow publicly discussed his sexuality many years later.

Manilow has directly said that his marriage to Susan did not fail because of his sexual orientation.

He said he had truly been in love with her.

His explanation has instead focused on being young, not being ready for married life, and wanting to chase his dream of working in music.

Much later, Manilow formed a long-term relationship with Garry Kief.

The couple began their relationship in 1978 and eventually married in 2014. Manilow publicly discussed being gay in 2017.

Susan’s marriage to him belonged to a much earlier chapter of both their lives.

Barry Manilow’s Career Changed Everything

The timing of the marriage is important when understanding Susan Deixler’s story.

Barry Manilow was not yet the superstar people know today.

During the 1960s, he was trying to build a professional life in music.

He worked at CBS and became involved in musical arranging. In 1964, he wrote music for an Off-Broadway production called The Drunkard. He also became involved in writing and performing commercial jingles.

His career later changed dramatically.

He worked with Bette Midler as a music director, arranger and pianist before beginning his solo career. His recording of Mandy became a major success and helped turn him into an international star.

By then, Susan and Barry had already gone their separate ways.

Susan therefore experienced the earliest part of Manilow’s musical journey, rather than his later celebrity life.

What Happened to Susan Deixler After Barry Manilow?

Susan Deixler largely disappeared from celebrity coverage after the marriage ended.

That does not mean she stopped building a meaningful life.

Public records from Marin County, California, provide unusually strong information about the work she later did in her community.

In 2024, the Marin County Board of Supervisors prepared a resolution honoring Susan Deixler for 30 years of service.

According to the county document, she spent about ten years volunteering with rural seniors before working for approximately twenty years as a Senior Care Manager with West Marin Senior Services.

That is a major part of Susan’s story that is often missed.

She may be searched online because of Barry Manilow, but her own work affected the lives of many people far away from the entertainment industry.

Susan Deixler’s Work With Senior Citizens

Susan’s career involved helping older adults and their families.

The Marin County resolution describes her as a dedicated advocate for seniors.

Her work involved dealing with hospitals, doctors, insurance organizations, government services and other systems that can sometimes be difficult for older people to understand or manage.

This type of job requires patience.

It also requires someone who is willing to listen and help people through difficult situations.

The county’s recognition suggests Susan did exactly that for many years.

Her story therefore became much more than simply being “Barry Manilow’s ex-wife.”

The Senior Swim Program

One interesting part of Susan Deixler’s community work was the creation of a Senior Swim Program.

The program took place at Heart’s Desire Beach in Tomales Bay State Park.

According to Marin County’s official resolution, the program had been active for 18 years by the time Susan was honored for her service.

Programs like this can help older adults stay active while also giving them opportunities to meet other people.

Susan’s involvement shows that her community work was practical and personal.

She did not simply work behind a desk.

She helped create activities that could improve people’s everyday lives.

Helping With Food and Community Support

Susan was also connected with efforts to improve access to food for local seniors.

The Marin County resolution says she helped start a supplemental nutrition table with West Marin Community Services at West Marin Senior Services congregate meals.

In simple words, this meant helping make extra food support available to people who needed it.

The same official document also notes that Susan worked with nursing students and helped support older adults living in rural areas.

These details give readers a much clearer picture of her life after her famous marriage.

Recognition From Marin County

Susan Deixler’s long service eventually received official recognition.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors honored her work as she retired after decades of helping her community.

The resolution praised her dedication, humor, advocacy and personal care for seniors and their families.

For someone who spent most of her life away from celebrity attention, this recognition is important.

It shows that Susan created her own legacy.

Her former marriage may be the reason many people first search for her name, but community service became an important part of her own story.

Did Susan Deixler Become Famous?

Not in the traditional sense.

Susan Deixler never became a singer, actress or regular television personality.

She also appears to have made a clear choice to keep most of her personal life private.

Even when Barry Manilow’s later relationships became major entertainment news, Susan did not suddenly begin seeking publicity.

That is why reliable information about her is limited.

Many websites publish claims about her age, family, money and private relationships, but some of those details cannot be confirmed by stronger sources.

For that reason, it is safer not to treat every online claim about Susan as fact.

Susan Deixler’s Age and Birthday

Susan Deixler’s exact date of birth is not clearly established by major reliable public sources.

Several online biography sites give different or lightly sourced birth details.

Because of that, an exact birthday or current age should be treated carefully.

What can be said with greater confidence is that Susan and Barry Manilow were close in age and knew each other during their teenage school years.

Manilow was born in 1943 and graduated from Eastern District High School in 1961.

Does Susan Deixler Have Children?

Some published profiles claim Susan later became a mother.

However, Susan has kept her family life very private, and detailed information about her children is not widely documented by major primary sources.

It is therefore better to respect that privacy rather than present every repeated online claim as confirmed fact.

This is especially important because Susan is not someone who has built a public career around sharing her personal life.

What Is Susan Deixler’s Net Worth?

There is no reliable public figure for Susan Deixler’s net worth.

Celebrity biography websites sometimes publish estimates, but these numbers often have no clear source.

Susan spent many years working in community and senior services rather than in the entertainment industry.

Without verified financial records, any exact net-worth figure would simply be speculation.

Where Is Susan Deixler Now?

Susan Deixler has remained largely outside public life.

The strongest recent public information about her comes from Marin County’s recognition of her community work and retirement in 2024.

There is little reason to expect regular celebrity updates about her.

Susan has spent decades living differently from her famous former husband.

Barry Manilow continued performing and recording music well into the 2020s, while Susan’s public story has mainly been connected to local service rather than entertainment.

Why Are People Still Searching for Susan Deixler?

There are several reasons.

First, Barry Manilow remains one of the best-known American pop singers of his generation.

Fans naturally become interested in his early life.

Second, Susan’s story surprises people because the marriage happened before Manilow became famous.

Third, Manilow later spoke openly about his sexuality and his long relationship with Garry Kief. This created new curiosity about his earlier marriage.

But perhaps the most interesting part is how different Susan’s life became.

She could have spent decades speaking about her connection to a superstar.

Instead, the available evidence shows a woman who largely stayed private and devoted many years to helping people in her community.

Interesting Facts About Susan Deixler

Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow were high-school sweethearts before either of them had much experience with adult life.

They married in 1964.

Their marriage was annulled in 1966.

Manilow later made it clear that he had genuinely loved Susan.

He has said his youth and powerful desire to pursue music played a major role in the relationship ending.

Susan later spent decades working with seniors in West Marin.

She volunteered for around ten years and then worked for roughly twenty years as a Senior Care Manager.

She also created a long-running senior swimming program and helped with food support for local residents.

In 2024, Marin County recognized her decades of service.

Final Thoughts

Susan Deixler’s story begins with Barry Manilow, but it should not end there.

Yes, she was his first wife.

Yes, they were young sweethearts whose marriage ended before Manilow became one of America’s best-known singers.

But Susan went on to create a quieter life of her own.

Rather than chasing celebrity attention, she spent decades serving older people and helping families in her community.

That makes her story interesting for a different reason.

Barry Manilow found international fame through music.

Susan Deixler found a much more private path.

Both moved forward after a youthful marriage that simply arrived at the wrong time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Deixler

Who is Susan Deixler?

Susan Deixler is best known as the first wife and high-school sweetheart of singer Barry Manilow. She later spent decades working with senior citizens and community programs in Marin County, California.

When did Susan Deixler marry Barry Manilow?

Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow married in 1964.

When did Susan Deixler and Barry Manilow separate?

Their marriage lasted only a short time and was annulled in 1966.

Why did Barry Manilow leave Susan Deixler?

Manilow has said he loved Susan but was too young to settle down. His desire to pursue a music career was an important reason the relationship ended.

Did Barry Manilow love Susan Deixler?

According to Manilow himself, yes. He later said he had genuinely been in love with Susan.

Was their marriage ended because Barry Manilow is gay?

Manilow has said no. He explained that the marriage ended because he was young, unprepared for married life and focused heavily on music.

What did Susan Deixler do for a living?

Official Marin County records say she spent decades helping senior citizens, including around twenty years as a Senior Care Manager with West Marin Senior Services.

What is Susan Deixler’s net worth?

There is no trustworthy public estimate of Susan Deixler’s net worth.

Is Susan Deixler still alive?

Recent official recognition of her retirement and community service in 2024 indicates that she was living at that time. Reliable public information about her remains limited.

Where is Susan Deixler today?

Susan has lived a highly private life. Recent reliable information focuses on her decades of community work in Marin County rather than celebrity appearances.

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