Muffy and Howard got married in 1977, when disco was king and nobody cared about carb counts. She was a force—smart, politically connected, and the kind of person who could host a charity gala while simultaneously negotiating a tractor purchase. But here’s the thing nobody talks about: their marriage was not a fairy tale. It was more like a really long, polite business meeting that lasted 19 years.
Why? Because Howard was obsessed with his work. He was off photographing gorillas in Rwanda or digging wells in Africa. Muffy was back home in Illinois, raising kids and planning events. Imagine being married to a guy who’s more excited about a new strain of drought-resistant corn than your anniversary dinner. That’s a tough gig. They divorced in 1996, and it was so quiet that most people didn’t even notice. It was like a tree falling in a forest with noise-canceling headphones.
What makes Muffy fascinating is that she totally disappeared from the public eye after the split. No tell-all books. No messy tabloid battles. Just a dignified exit, like a spy who completed her mission and vanished. But don’t feel too bad for her—she walked away with a chunk of the Buffett fortune, and last I checked, that kind of money buys a lot of ice cream and emotional support.
Warren Buffett Fast Facts | CNN
Enter the Second Woman: The Woman Nobody Saw Coming
So Howard gets divorced, and you’d think he’d take a break, right? Maybe grow a beard, buy a motorcycle, do some soul-searching. Nope. He got remarried almost immediately. And this is where the story gets juicy. His second wife is a woman named Lourdes “Lulu” Flores. She’s from Bolivia, works in international development, and is basically the polar opposite of Muffy. Think less “country club brunch” and more “building a school in the Andes.”
The funny part? Nobody in the Buffett family admitted the wedding was happening. It was a secret marriage. That’s right—the son of the world’s most famous investor tied the knot in 1996 with zero fanfare. No press release. No photo op with Warren holding up a check. It was so undercover that some people still think Howard is single. I imagine Warren found out via a very awkward voicemail: “Hey Dad, uh, I got married. Her name is Lulu. We’re living in a yurt in Peru. Cool? Cool.”
Warren Buffett on finding a lasting marriage | Fortune
Why the secrecy? Theories abound. Maybe Howard wanted to avoid the media circus. Maybe he was tired of being compared to his father’s successful marriage. Or maybe—and I’m betting on this—he just wanted to enjoy a wedding where the guest list didn’t include a dozen Berkshire Hathaway board members doing a conga line. Let the man have his peace!
