Why Gerry Turner Was the Perfect Choice to Be the First Golden Bachelor

"Golden Bachelor" Gerry Turner on His Search for Love

It's never too late to fall in love again. Just ask Gerry Turner.

The former restauranteur's dream of a quiet post-retirement life on the lake was shattered six years ago when his wife of 43 years, Toni, died suddenly from a bacterial infection. Devastated, Gerry relied on the support from their two daughters and granddaughters to guide him through his grief, and, eventually, a new plan for his golden years: Becoming the first star of ABC's The Golden Bachelor

Never has a new lead been so quickly and universally accepted and beloved by Bachelor Nation when it was officially announced that the 72-year-old widower with a love for pickleball would b…