Astrid Menks, a philanthropist and ex-cocktail waitress who is married to billionaire businessman Warren Buffett, is of Latvian and American descent. Menks traveled to the US in search of the fabled American dream after spending a sizable portion of her childhood in her native Latvia. She initially met Buffett in the 1970s while working as a waiter at a cocktail lounge. Susan Thompson, his first spouse, had, incidentally, previously resumed her profession at the same bar as a nightclub singer. Later, Thompson made the decision to relocate to San Francisco in order to advance her career, and she delegated Buffett’s care to the clubgirls. Menks eventually became the one among them who maintained consistency. Within a year, she moved in with him after regularly bringing him soup. The relationship between Buffett, Thompson, and Menks became more complicated over the years. Although he also had a connection with Menks, he never divorced Thompson. Thompson took over the management of Buffett’s charity foundation as he rose to become one of the richest people in the world. On the other side, Menks looked after him at home. Thompson passed away in 2004. After dating for almost 30 years, Menks and Buffett got married two years later.
Early Childhood & Life
Menks was born in Latvia in 1946. Her early years and family history are hardly understood. Later, she traveled to the US and settled in Omaha, Nebraska. Menks quickly got a job in a neighborhood French cafe/cocktail bar.
Buffett’s meeting and later years
Buffett was developing a reputation as a multimillionaire investor with a golden touch in the 1970s. People who were close to the pair claim that Buffett and his then-wife, Susan Thompson, had several arguments over his quick ascent to wealth, which she reportedly regarded to be intrusive. Thompson started working at the same cocktail bar that Menks did, resuming her long-dormant career as a nightclub singer.
Thompson made the decision to go to San Francisco in 1977, about 25 years into her marriage to Buffett, in order to further her career as a signer. However, she asked the bartenders to take care of her spouse before she left Omaha. She was more adept at comprehending Buffett than most others and was aware of his desire for a female companion. He required assistance from others.
Menks, one of those gals, quickly won his affection with her sympathetic demeanor and bowls of homemade soup. She moved in with him at his Omaha white stucco home a year later. Buffett did not, however, divorce Thompson, and the two remained friends. Over the years, they would spend months together and work on various projects.
Menks was apparently content with Buffett’s decision to forego remarriage because she was aware of it. She had an affectionate, though unconventional, relationship with Buffett and Thompson. They would show up at occasions together in hand, frequently.
Even their Christmas greetings would be addressed to “Warren, Susie, and Astrid.” Menks gave Thompson a good place to live while Thompson managed Buffett’s philanthropic organization.
Astrid Menks’s Marriage
Thompson passed away in 2004. Two years later, in a private ceremony at his home, Buffett and Menks got hitched. The fact that Susan, Howard, and Peter, Buffett’s children with Thompson, all hold Menks in high respect says a lot about how they feel about her.
She participates in her own charitable endeavors and gives to the neighborhood zoo. Being equally thrifty as her husband, she continues to frequent thrift shops rather than high-end shops and boutiques.
Estimated Net Worth
Unknown.