A Quiet Strength: Susan Dee Robbins and the Family Behind a Western Legend

Basic Information

A Private Life in the Public Eye

By temperament and choice, Susan Dee Robbins kept to the quiet edges of public life. Her story comes into focus because she stood beside a man already in the spotlight—Dayle Lymoine “Dale” Robertson, the rugged star of television Westerns like Tales of Wells Fargo. Where fame often amplifies every whisper, Susan guarded the home front, the filing boxes, and the photo albums. Across decades, she played the steady note beneath a louder melody.

Many brief bios repeat an origin story: that Susan once worked as a flight attendant and met Dale during his travels. The tale is tidy, cinematic—and unconfirmed by robust primary documentation. What is clear and matters more is the arc that followed: in 1980 they married, and for 33 years they moved through life as a team.

Marriage and Partnership: 1980–2013

Their union was a study in complementarity. Dale’s screen persona—thoughtful, courtly, iron-strong—found a real-world counterpart in Susan’s discretion and endurance. They lived for years on a ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma, a place where the work is tangible and the seasons teach. In later years, as Dale’s health needs grew more complex, they relocated to the San Diego area. The marriage endured until his death in 2013, spanning 3 decades, 4 presidential administrations, and enough changing technology to make even a cowboy blink.

Susan’s role during these years is best captured in small details: caring for horses and household; preserving memorabilia from sets and press tours; tracking the dates, faces, and places that might otherwise slip away. She didn’t seek the camera; she minded the record.

The Family Constellation

A fuller picture of Susan’s family life begins with Dale Robertson’s earlier chapters. Before 1980, he had been married more than once; multiple biographies list unions in the 1950s and late 1950s–1970s. From those prior marriages came daughters often named in obituaries and retrospectives. The most consistently referenced is Rochelle Robertson; other sources mention Rebel Lee and sometimes additional daughters. The exact tally varies across publications, a reminder that family trees can be like mesquite—hardy and branching, but not easily diagrammed from the outside.

What can be said with confidence: when Susan joined Dale’s life, she also embraced the role of stepmother and kin-keeper, bridging the past with the present. If fame is a storm, the family is the sturdy porch; Susan kept that porch swept and lit.

Stewardship and Authorship: Bucking Hollywood (2019)

In 2019, years after Dale’s passing, Susan emerged as an author with Bucking Hollywood. The book title signals both rebellion and devotion: “bucking,” as in resisting; “Hollywood,” as in the machine that can polish legends until they lose their fingerprints. The memoir gathers Dale’s life—from Oklahoma roots to the soundstages—and threads it through the artifacts Susan saved and the stories she lived.

Readers encounter photographs, anecdotes, and the texture of an era when Westerns defined prime-time. But more than documenting a star, the volume documents a marriage lived alongside the industry’s churn. You can feel the ranch dust, catch the cadence of set calls, and hear the private asides that never made it to talk shows. In a media world that often prefers noise, Susan chose to leave something quieter: a careful ledger of a life, balanced by affection and accuracy.

Places and Seasons: From Oklahoma Range to California Coast

Place mattered to the Robertsons. Yukon, Oklahoma offered space and steadiness—fences to mend, horses to feed, sunsets unbothered by billboards. Later, when health considerations led to a move west, the San Diego/La Jolla coastline formed the horizon. This geographic arc—range to ocean—mirrors the rhythm of their shared story: work, care, and adjustment.

What’s Confirmed—and What Isn’t

Profiles about private people often accumulate barnacles: rumored birth years, speculative net-worth figures, claimed early careers repeated so many times they start to feel true. In Susan’s case, several such details circulate without solid documentation. Her exact birthdate is not confirmed in reliable public records; estimates of her finances are just that—estimates. Even the more romantic origin stories about how she met Dale should be approached as possibilities rather than settled fact.

The absence of certain specifics isn’t a gap in the story; it’s a feature of the life she chose. Susan’s public footprint is smaller by design, and that restraint helps the contours of her actual contributions stand out.

A Select Timeline

The Legacy She Keeps

Legacies do not keep themselves. They are tended—by hands that label boxes, by eyes that recognize a face in a fading 8×10, by memory that corrects a caption before it drifts into myth. In this work, Susan Dee Robbins has been both archivist and witness. The story of a Western icon is now inseparable from the woman who insisted it be told carefully.

She reminds us that not everyone in a famous life stands center stage. Some build the stage. Some sweep it after the curtain falls. And some—like Susan—leave the light on long enough for the rest of us to see what was really there.

FAQ

Who is Susan Dee Robbins?

She is the longtime spouse and partner of actor Dale Robertson and the author of the 2019 memoir Bucking Hollywood about his life.

When did she marry Dale Robertson?

They married in 1980 and remained together until his death in 2013.

Did Susan and Dale have children together?

There is no widely documented evidence of biological children from their marriage; she is known as stepmother to his daughters from earlier relationships.

What is Bucking Hollywood?

It’s a memoir/biography written by Susan that chronicles Dale Robertson’s career and personal life with photographs and recollections.

Where did Susan and Dale live?

They spent many years on a ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma, and later lived in the San Diego/La Jolla area.

What is known about Susan’s early life or career?

Public records and major profiles provide limited detail; common anecdotes exist but are not firmly documented.

Why do sources differ on the names and number of Dale’s children?

Different obituaries and biographies list varying details; over time, reporting inconsistencies and family privacy contribute to discrepancies.

Is Susan active on social media?

She has maintained a low public profile, and no widely verified official social media accounts are associated with her.

What is her net worth?

No reliable public documentation confirms any net-worth figure; online estimates should be treated as speculative.

Is she related to other people named Susan D. Robbins?

The name is shared by others; identifying the correct person requires context such as connection to Dale Robertson and the 2019 memoir.