Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have 5 children; well, not really. Phil Donahue and his ex-wife, his college sweetheart- Margaret Cooney had 5 children. Phil and Margaret got married right out of college in 1958 and had 5 children- Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Mary Rose, and James. After 17 years of marriage, the couple decided to separate, and during the divorce settlement, Phil got custody of their 4 sons, while Margaret got custody of their daughter.
Despite them not being Marlo’s kids, she loved them and happily accepted them into her life as her stepchildren when she married Phil in 1980. Marlo talked about how she was happy to be their stepmom and be a friend to them instead of a mother figure.
Her Mom’s Unique Parenting Style
She talked about how her mom used to be a friend to her and her siblings, and how that approach made their bond grow stronger every day- joking with each other, talking freely, and arguing. But none of those things could make a difference in their bond. She says that she used the same model with Phil’s kids- and she takes pride in knowing that the friendship they built 30 years ago is still as strong.
Let’s Meet The Kids
Now, let’s take a look at the kids- now adults, and see where they are in life now.
- Michael Phillip Donahue
Michael Phillip Donahue, the first-born son of Phil Donahue and Margaret Cooney, was born in 1959. According to The New York Times, he graduated from New Trier East High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Then he attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and started working at Katz American TV as an accounting executive in 1986.
He married Martha Reed von Gal on April 27, 1991, in Connecticut, who is the owner and director of the Little Red Wagon PlaySchool. They have two beautiful children, named Conner and Kenzie.
- Kevin John Donahue
Kevin John Donahue was born in 1959. He studied at the University of Kansas in 1979. Kevin lived closely with Phil all his life. After his parents divorced, he and his brothers lived with Phil in Ohio until 1974.
He is very athletic, he ran marathons in his 30s, 40s, and 50s, including Stockholm in 1996. He loves to travel with his parents, and as of 2013, he is staying close to them in NYC.
- Daniel Timothy Donahue
Daniel Timothy Donahue, the third child of Phil and Cooney was born around 1961. Even though there isn’t much known about him, we know that as of 2013, he lives in Connecticut.
- Mary Rose Donahue
The only daughter of Phil and Cooney- Mary Rose Donahue was born around 1965 and lived with her mother in New Mexico after her parent’s divorce. While not much is known about her, we know that she is close with Marlo and Phil.
Marlo shared that she took her stepdaughter to visit the restaurant Toppers in Massachusetts after she began culinary school in 2011.
- James Patrick Donahue
James ‘Jim’ Patrick was born around 1963. Jim worked as an investigative researcher and writer at Essential Information, and later he practiced law while living in Hawaii. We don’t really know much about him either.
Sadly, he passed away at the age of 51 in 2014 due to an aortic aneurysm, and in an official statement, his family shared that he was cremated. They scattered his ashes in Honolulu because he loved the beautiful, warm, and tranquil water, and this way he will forever be at peace.
Phil and Cooney’s children were always present at the family gatherings. They celebrate their holidays together, with Mary Rose even carving the turkey once for Thanksgiving. How beautiful is that? I can’t help but think how happy the family is, and how Phil and Marlo are proud of their love. I can only imagine how dreamy it would be to find that for ourselves in our future.
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Rino Melitha
Rino Melitha, a writer with a background in electronics and media technology, is pursuing her M.A. in Psychology. She excels in content creation and technical writing.