Gerry and Theresa Honor Late Spouses in Their Golden Wedding

The Love Story of Gerry and Theresa

As The Golden Bachelor couple, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist get ready to embark on their forever journey as husband and wife, they will be remembering their late spouses who are forever in their hearts. The first season of the pioneering series featured Gerry, 72, dating and hitting it off with multiple women. Though he told a total of three women he loved them, he ultimately got down on one knee and proposed to Theresa, 70, who said yes. While appearing on the show After The Final Rose, Gerry and Theresa announced that they would be getting married on national television, just a few short weeks after the finale. With very little time, the couple got busy planning their dream wedding. The much-anticipated wedding is the start of their future together, and The Golden Bachelor couple wants to honor their late spouses, Toni and Billy, at their upcoming nuptials.

Montage of The Golden Bachelor's Gerry & Theresa

How Will Their Late Spouses Be Honored? As their big day arrives, Theresa has been focused on wedding preparation. 'We will definitely mention them during the wedding,' Theresa told E! News in an exclusive interview. She also revealed that she picked out a song that her late husband, Billy, loved and hopes to also pick out a song for Gerry's late wife, Toni. She went on to say that though she and Gerry haven't written their vows yet, they plan on incorporating their late spouses into their vows. 'And we'll be thinking about them the entire day.'

The Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner with a woman in the background

Remembering Gerry's Late Wife, Toni

Gerry and Theresa found love on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, but the widowers had both been previously married. Gerry married his high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. They had two daughters together, Angie and Jenny, and later two granddaughters. According to Gerry, they had a perfect life together before Toni got sick in 2017 and passed away at the age of 65 after they shared more than 40 years of marriage.

The Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner proposes to Theresa Nist

The Life of Theresa's Late Husband, Billy

Long before falling in love with Gerry, Theresa had also been married to her high school sweetheart when they were 18 and 20 years old. After serving in the Vietnam War, William 'Billy' Nist worked as a stock trader. He had retired by the time of his death in 2014 at the age of 63. During an episode of The Golden Bachelor, Theresa revealed that her late husband was suffering from kidney problems before his death. They had been married for 42 years. It remains to be seen if her second marriage will succeed too.