‘The Golden Bachelor’ Star Theresa Nist Shares Emotional Tribute to Late Husband

Theresa Nist

Heavy/ABC "The Golden Bachelor" star Theresa Nist opened up about her late husband.

Theresa Nist is one of Gerry Turner’s final two ladies on the debut season of “The Golden Bachelor.” During her first individual date with Turner, Nist opened up about her late husband, William “Billy” Nist. Her touching story resonated with both Turner and viewers, and a recent social media post touched fans as well.

Here’s what you need to know:


Nist Noted Her Husband Died 9 Years Ago

On November 11, Nist shared an array of photos on her Instagram page. “The Golden Bachelor” star also included a caption and opened up about her marriage to her late husband.

“Billy and I met when I was 14 and he was 16. We got married at 18 and 20,” Nist wrote.

She continued, “He was stationed in Berlin during the Vietnam war. I took my first plane ride and we lived there for almost a year.” Nist also noted she realized both back then as well as now that it was a “Once in a lifetime experience.”

“The Golden Bachelor” star shared the post on Veteran’s Day, an intentional choice on her part. “Remembering my late husband and remembering all the veterans who served our country so that we could be free, not to do whatever we please, but to do the right thing,” Nist wrote.

Nist also noted November 11 was the anniversary of her husband’s death. Her high school sweetheart and husband of 42 years had died nine years ago to the day.


Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist Have Bonded Over The Losses of Their Spouses

All of the photos Nist shared in her tribute Instagram post were of her with her husband in the early years of their relationship. At least one picture was from the time they were in Germany.

In addition, two of the snapshots in Nist’s post were from the pair’s wedding. The couple’s daughter, Jen, has posted tributes to her late father on her Instagram page as well.

During episode 2 of “The Golden Bachelor,” Nist opened up to Turner about her late husband during a one-on-one date. “What happened, ultimately, is, his kidneys were not good. And Billy always had hope of a kidney transplant,” Nist explained of her high school sweetheart.

She continued, “But, one day when I was at work, he all of a sudden takes a turn for the worse. And I ran home, and I watched him take his last breath.”

Turner got emotional listening to Nist talk about her late husband. As “The Golden Bachelor” viewers have learned, the loss Turner experienced with his late wife, and high school sweetheart, was similar in a lot of ways.


Nist’s Love Story Touched ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Fans

In her introductory video clip shared on Instagram ahead of “The Golden Bachelor” premiere, Nist said, “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be in love again!” She also shared, “It’s not the end of your life, there’s so many more things to do.”

Nist’s tribute to her late husband received a lot of love from friends and “The Golden Bachelor” fans.

“This picture tells a million words. You and your late husband must have shared such a beautiful life,” one supporter wrote.

Thank you for sharing these photos. You two made a lovely couple. You can see the love in these photos & you look fabulous and still do. I’ll say it again, I love that you are about family. I just wish you all the best and the same for your family. You deserve it. 🫶🏻🫶🏻,” added another.

“Beautiful pictures Theresa of the both of you. Such a feeling of true love looking at them. Particularly love the one where he’s embracing you, ❤️” wrote someone else.