Before Home Improvement. Before Toy Story. Before any of it, Tim Allen was a college kid in Kalamazoo who did federal time for drug trafficking. Laura Deibel was there for that. She married him in 1984, years before fame changed everything, and raised their daughter while he spent his Friday nights taping a sitcom and, by his own admission, drinking more than he should have.
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Laura Deibel |
| Laura Deibel Age | 69, born November 12, 1956 |
| Birthplace | Michigan |
| College | Western Michigan University |
| Known For | First wife of Tim Allen |
| Met Tim Allen | Early 1970s, at Western Michigan University |
| Married Tim Allen | April 7, 1984 |
| Daughter | Katherine “Kady” Allen, born December 1989 |
| Separated | 1999 |
| Divorce Finalized | 2003 |
| Career | Sales manager |
| Laura Deibel Net Worth | Unknown, no verified figure |
| Now | No public record of remarriage, stays private |
Who She Actually Is
Tim’s first wife. Knew him before any of the Hollywood stuff was real. Met at Western Michigan University, dated for years, stuck together through his 1978 drug trafficking arrest and the prison time that came with it. He got out in ’81. Married three years later.
That’s basically the whole public record. No interviews. No statements. Nothing suggesting she ever wanted more attention than the marriage already brought her.
College, Kalamazoo, and a Prison Sentence
Both students at Western Michigan University, early 70s. Whatever pulled them together held through a stretch most couples wouldn’t survive. Tim went to prison. She waited. By the time he got out in 1981, they’d already been together close to a decade.
The Wedding
April 7, 1984. Tim was doing local stand-up back then, nothing close to famous. Laura worked as a sales manager. Early years were happy, by most accounts, mostly because nobody was famous yet and there wasn’t anything to fight about.
Kady
Katherine, “Kady” to everyone, born December 1989. Laura handled most of the parenting once Home Improvement blew up and Tim’s schedule filled with tapings, rehearsals, and drinking with the crew after. He’s said this himself in interviews since: he wasn’t present enough. Laura was the one who was.
Kady’s kept a low profile as an adult too. Shows up with her dad occasionally. Otherwise stays out of it.
Why It Ended
Laura filed for legal separation in 1999. Fame did what fame does to marriages that started before it existed. Tim admitted in later interviews he checked out during that period, distracted and drinking. Divorce finalized in 2003, after nearly two decades together. Private settlement, shared custody of Kady, who was 13.
What She Does Now
Went back to sales management after the divorce. That’s about the extent of what’s confirmed. A couple of sites mention charity work tied to Tim’s foundation, but nothing backs that up solidly enough to call it fact.
Her Net Worth
No real number exists for this. Anyone quoting a specific figure for Laura Deibel’s net worth is guessing, since she’s never had a public-facing career that would leave a financial trail.
Life After
Laura and Tim reportedly stayed civil, co-parenting without drama. Tim remarried in 2006, to actress Jane Hajduk, and they had a daughter, Elizabeth, in 2009. Nothing on record shows Laura ever remarried. She just isn’t part of the story anymore. Seems intentional.
FAQs
How old is Laura Deibel? 69. Born November 12, 1956.
How’d she meet Tim Allen? College. Western Michigan University, early 70s.
Marriage and divorce dates? Married April 7, 1984. Separated 1999. Divorce finalized 2003.
Kids? One daughter, Katherine “Kady” Allen, born December 1989.
Why’d they split? Fame, and the distance it created. Tim’s said as much himself.
Job? Sales manager. Possibly some charity work, unconfirmed.
Net worth? No verified number. Ignore any figure claiming otherwise.
Remarried? No public record of it.
