Who Is Warren Buffett’s Wife? All About Astrid Buffett

Warren Buffett met his wife, Astrid Buffett, through his first spouse Susan Thompson Buffet

Warren Buffett and his wife, Astrid Buffett, fell in love in an unexpected way.

When the billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway first met Astrid in the 1970s, he was still married to his first wife, the late Susan Thompson Buffett. Susan introduced Warren to Astrid, a woman she became friends with after meeting at the local restaurant where Astrid worked.

At the time, Susan and Warren had been married for decades, but she decided to start a new chapter on her own in San Francisco. Despite living a separate life on the West Coast, Warren and Susan didn't divorce, and the pair remained close. Soon after the move, she realized how much he was struggling to manage the household, and she asked friends, including Astrid, to check up on him.

“She is a very helping, giving person ... and Astrid is happiest when she is doing something for somebody else, she is just made that way. She’s really a good soul,” Susan said in a 2004 interview with Charlie Rose. “I called Astrid, I said, 'Astrid, will you take Warren, make him some soup, go over there and look after him? Because he's not going to make it.' ”

Although she was initially hesitant, Astrid began spending time with Warren and eventually moved in with him. While Warren and Susan’s daughter Susie admits people may have found the situation strange, she says it worked for everyone involved.

“Astrid’s been part of the family for a long time, so it just sort of evolved into something that for us was kind of normal," Susie told PEOPLE. "I don’t know that it would work for many people, but it worked for my parents and her. Nobody was being hurt and everybody was happy."

Warren and Susan remained married until she died in 2004. Two years later, he wed Astrid in a civil ceremony.

So who is Warren Buffett’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Astrid Buffett and her relationship with the successful investor.

Astrid was born in Germany but raised in the United States

Astrid was born in 1946 in Germany after her parents emigrated from Latvia.

As one of five children, the family relocated to the United States when she was 5 years old. When they arrived, they were assigned to a sponsor in rural Nebraska before moving to Omaha shortly after, per Warren’s authorized biography The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.

When her mother was later diagnosed with breast cancer, Astrid and her two younger brothers moved into an orphanage at the Immanuel Deaconess Institute of Omaha. The property also included a retirement home, a hospital, a church and a recreational hall. While the children were raised by the Lutheran sisters who ran the establishment, their father worked as a groundskeeper.

As a teenager, Astrid spent time in foster homes, eventually graduating from high school and enrolling at the University of Nebraska. She attended college until she ran out of money and could no longer pay her tuition.

She worked various jobs before meeting Warren

After a lack of funds forced her to leave school, Astrid got a job at the insurance company Mutual of Omaha. She then managed a women’s clothing store and later became a garde-manger at a few restaurants in Omaha.

In this line of work, Astrid was eventually hired as the maître d’ at a local restaurant called The French Café. At the time, she was barely scraping by financially, living in a small apartment and driving a car with rusted floors.

They were introduced by Warren’s first wife Susan

When Astrid first met Warren, he was still married to his first wife, Susan. Warren and Susan tied the knot in 1952 and welcomed three children together, and though they had a close bond, Susan wanted to relocate to San Francisco.

In an interview with Rose, Susan explained that she had already been living a separate life from Warren because he was often busy working and when he was home, he was sequestered away reading. Because of this, Susan was often out of the house and even began a singing career, performing at local venues.

Looking back, Susan says she had learned to “have her own life” and eventually became drawn to the West Coast, where other family and friends lived, including her grown daughter.

“I thought, ‘You know, I would like to have a place where I could have a room of my own.’ It would be nice,” she told Rose. “So I went to San Francisco ... It’s perfect. The first time Warren came out there ... we took a walk and looked around. He’s not very visual ... but he was looking around and he said, ‘This really is your city.’ He thought it was a good place for me.”

While they decided to live separately, they remained married. Susan knew that her husband wouldn’t be able to keep the household running without her, so she asked several friends to look after Warren, one of whom was Astrid.

Warren was still married to Susan for much of their relationship

During her early days in San Francisco, Susan convinced Astrid to begin visiting Warren. The two began spending time together and enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Astrid moved into Warren’s home around May 1978, taking on household tasks and ensuring that Warren was attended to.

“I never gave it a thought,” Astrid shared of her decision to move in, per The Snowball. “It just happened naturally.”

While Astrid said that the living situation developed over time, Warren’s daughter Susie didn't believe her mother intended to find her father a new wife. Still, the family understood why it happened.

“My mother made the choice to move, so something’s going to happen,” Susie shared in an interview with Life Stories. “She’d asked a bunch of her friends check in on him ... and Astrid was one of them and she ended up staying.”

She later added, “I think that my mother loved Astrid as a person and I think she also was glad that she was there because she loved my dad. She wanted him taken care of and happy, and there’s no one better than Astrid. ... She just loves my dad.”

Throughout Warren’s blossoming relationship with Astrid, he remained married to Susan. While Astrid took care of the affairs at home in Omaha and accompanied Warren to dinners and outings, Susan remained his partner in other affairs. She often joined him on trips, including when he was traveling with his colleagues, like Bill Gates and spending time at their beach house in Laguna Beach, Calif.

“They do what they do, you know? ... I don’t go to most things in Omaha because I think Astrid lives with him, and that’s for her to do. And then we do all kinds of [other] things,” Susan shared with Rose during the 2004 interview.

The family often celebrated holidays together

Despite the unique nature of Warren’s relationship with Susan and Astrid, the three of them were close.

Warren and Susan’s daughter Susie explained that the entire family was supportive and understanding of the situation — and everyone even spent the holidays together each year. In fact, they would send out their Christmas cards signed “Warren, Susie and Astrid.”

“I think that it was very unconventional and I’m sure looked weird to people but nobody was faking anything. My mother wasn’t acting like she liked Astrid, and Astrid wasn't acting ... It was all real, and it worked,” Susie told Life Stories.

She added, “We had Christmas together every year until 2002 ... It just turned into this sort of new normal, and everybody was fine.”

Warren and Astrid wed in 2006

In 2003, Susan was diagnosed with oral cancer and began to undergo treatment. During this time, Warren spent weekends in San Francisco caring for her, and Susie later recalled Astrid sending cards to her mother with loving, supportive messages.

Unfortunately, Susan ultimately died after having a stroke in 2004, leaving both Warren and Astrid grief-stricken.

Following Susan’s death, Astrid became more involved in Warren’s public life. While she had previously stayed back while Warren attended galas and major events with Susan, she was now invited to join him.

In 2006, the couple decided to tie the knot, which Susie told The New York Times her father had been thinking about “for a while.”

On Aug. 30, 2006, Warren and Astrid officially said “I do” in a 15-minute civil ceremony held at Susie’s home. Warren presented his new wife with a ring purchased from Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry — a business owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The wedding was only attended by Susie and Astrid’s sister. Afterward, the group went to a chain restaurant for dinner.

Astrid has no interest in Warren’s vast fortune

Like Warren, Astrid has been characterized as thrifty and frugal with money. According to The New York Times, she has always enjoyed thrift shopping and even wore a simple blouse and pants to her wedding.

“She has been with my father all these years for all the right reasons,” Warren’s daughter Susie told the newspaper. “I’m so thankful. She loves him and takes care of him. If Warren didn’t have a cent, she’d be with him.”

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