BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: Gerry Turner is crossing his fingers for the next lady in his life! Gerry talked up about his aspirations for meeting the next love of his life on 'The Golden Bachelor' in a teaser film that aired during 'The Bachelorette' The Men Tell All episode.
Amid all the tying up of dramatic loose ends involving storylines from Charity Lawson's continuing season 20 of ABC's 'The Bachelorette', her Men Tell All special also featured a sit-down with Gerry, who is slated to star on the network's highly anticipated spinoff series 'The Golden Bachelor'.
Gerry, a 71-year-old retired restaurateur from Indiana, joined Bachelor franchise presenter Jesse Palmer onstage to give a sneak peek at the dating series, which premieres in September. Gerry, who has two kids and two granddaughters, will meet 25 eligible seniors fighting for his heart in the first season of the program. Here's all you need to know about his background, including details on his late wife, Toni Turner.
Who is Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner's wife?
Gerry, a pickleball aficionado and former restaurateur, was married to Toni. Toni, Gerry's first wife, had been his high school love. They married in 1974 and have been together for 43 years. Gerry's wife Toni was born on November 22, 1951, and died on July 15, 2017, according to her obituary on Legacy. Toni lived in Hudson, Indiana at the time of her death.
What happened to Gerry Turner’s wife?
During an appearance with Good Morning America, Gerry discussed the loss of his late wife Toni, stating, "She got robbed." "Every day that goes by," he said, "that's the thought I have." While neither Gerry nor Toni's obituary disclosed what happened to her, he did mention that his wife got ill unexpectedly. Toni died six weeks after retiring from her employment as a result of an illness. Gerry feels that his wife is "rooting" for him as he begins his new adventure.
In a video clip aired on August 14, Gerry talked about marrying Toni, his high school sweetheart, with whom he had two kids and 43 years of wonderful marriage. He recounted that a month after Toni retired, the pair had closed on their "dream home" on a picturesque lake in June 2017. Sadly, Toni soon fell ill with a bacterial illness that affected her liver and kidneys, and in July of that year, she went suddenly.
How does Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner imagine his future wife?
During the moving video clip, Gerry remarked, "No one's ever going to replace Toni. But the love of my daughters and my granddaughters pulled me out of a dark spot."
Gerry was shown playing pickleball, drinking with pals at a pub, and practicing handing out flowers with his family in the episode. "I want to fall in love," he said further. "I really want to find my person who can put me in my place when I need it and make me smile at it. The person who can lay down beside you at night, not have to say anything, and you feel it. That’s love. That’s what I want, and I know that person’s out there."
"I don't think that's what I'm looking for," Gerry said of finding a love like that twice in a lifetime. "What I look for at the age of 70 is different from what I looked for in high school and college. So, I believe I’ll find my person — the new person that will make me whole again. And I think we’ll knit a wonderful relationship. But I don’t think it’ll look like the relationship I had with Toni. And I don’t think it would be right to do it that way."
Who is Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner?
Gerry, a retired restaurateur who resides in an Indiana lake property, is characterized as a pleasant 71-year-old grandfather. He has two children called Angie and Jenny, as well as two granddaughters named Charlee and Payton, who urged him to apply for the 'The Bachelor' franchise spin-off.
