Bob Barker’s wife, Dorothy Jo Gideon was an animal activist, was into showbiz, and was also a vegetarian. She led most of her life as a huge part of Bob Barker’s life, as they were together since they were teenagers and were later married for 36 years before Dorothy died of lung cancer in 1981 in Los Angeles at 57.
Even at death, Bob stayed true to his words about not going to marry again before his demise 42 years later in 2023 at 99. However, he had a longtime girlfriend, Nancy Burnat whom he had been with for almost 40 years from 1983 until his death. He was also with another woman, Dian Parkinson who dragged him into a sexual harassment controversy.
Let’s Walk You Through What Happened to Bob Barker’s Wife
Dorothy Jo Gideon was diagnosed with cancer in March 1981 and she died on October 19, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. She was 57 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
The ailment that killed her could be a result of her being a heavy smoker for most of her life. Even at that, her husband, Bob did not smoke.
Her death left a huge vacuum in Barker’s life as he suffered depression for the next 2-3 years after her demise. He stayed busy most of the time just so he could move on from the unfortunate incident.
Dorothy Jo’s husband later started a foundation in her honor as well as his mother’s. The foundation, DJ&T (initials of Dorothy and his mother Tilly) was created in 1995 with the aim of curbing the problem of animal overpopulation.
Both Dorothy and her mother-in-law were animal lovers. Barker has spoken about how his wife loved animals so much so that she stopped wearing furs even before the world became as conscious as it is now. He also revealed that she was an animal activist and a vegetarian who led her husband to also fall in love with animals and become a vegetarian.
Before Dorothy Jo’s Death, She Had Life Ahead of Her – Here is Her Full Story and Her Love Life
Barker’s wife, Dorothy Jo was Born Only a Year Before the Deadliest Tornado in US History
Barker’s wife was born Dorothy Josephine Gideon on 25 February 1924, in Springfield, Green County, Missouri, the United States. She was named after her mother Dorothy L. Evans Gideon who died in 1980.
Her father was Jack Oliver Gideon. He died in 1963 at 65 and when Dorothy was 39 years old. At birth, her mother was 22 years old while her father was 27.
She had a private early life but was raised in her hometown, Missouri. However, there were many historical events in Missouri while she was growing up.
Exactly a year and a month following her birth, the Tri-State Tornado hit parts of Missouri among other neighboring states. This happened on March 18, 1925, and it became the deadliest tornado in US history.
She Had a Showbiz Career and was Religious in Protecting Animal Rights
Dorothy did not only marry a man who was into showbiz, but she was also a part of the entertainment industry. She sang many jingles and appeared in a TV show which her spouse was also a part of.
She also appeared in I’ll Bet (1965) TV series which was a game show based on the ability to predict if your teammates will answer correctly. The series was hosted by Jack Narz and several famous people such as Beverly Garland, Patricia Blair, Keith Larsen, and Pat Carroll were featured.
In 1972, she was featured in another TV series, It’s Your Bet, and a few years before her demise, she was featured in an episode of Dinah.
With all of these presences in different series, she was most famous for appearing in 20 episodes of Tattletales between 1975 to 1976. Bert Convy served as the host of the show which also featured her husband Bob. The show was about celebrities and their spouses, playing for sections of the studio audience and also getting to answer questions about their personal lives.
Even with her career on TV, Dorothy Jo was most famous for being a celebrity wife, married to Bob Barker. Her husband was a game show host, famed for hosting CBS’s The Price is Right.
Moving back to Dorothy and her life, she was an animal activist and had dogs with her husband. Bob has spoken several times about her love for animals and how she got him even more interested in the things he didn’t pay much attention to.
As part of her love and respect for animals, Dorothy Jo stopped wearing fur and was a vegetarian. Somehow, her husband picked an interest in being a vegetarian and he revealed that it helped him throughout his life.
See Also: Who Are Wayne Brady’s Wives, Mandie Taketa, And Diana Lass? Relationship Timeline
She Met Her Husband in 1939 when She was 14, Married Him at 20, and Stayed Together for Almost 4 Decades
Dorothy was 15 years old in 1939 when Barker just moved to Missouri and they met while attending Central High School Missouri. They had their first date at a Fitzgerald concert and were together about 6 years before they married on January 12, 1945.
At the time they were married, Dorothy was 20 while her husband was 21. They stayed married until Dorothy Jo died in 1981 at 57. The couple did not have any children and Bob revealed that they were too busy.
Nonetheless, Barker did not regret the decision as he saw his friends struggle with the children.
To him, he felt complete with his 13 ducks and perhaps he was satisfied with his job and the love he shared with his wife.
Why Dorothy Jo Gideon’s Husband Remained Unmarried For 4 Decades After Her Demise
In the 1990s, Bob said that he was not going to marry again. According to him, he wanted to have just one Mrs. Barker. Also, Dorothy was the love of his life and they remained in love till she passed.
Barker was also known for always speaking about her and visiting her grave. One of his famous visits was on her 36th memorial in 2017.
Despite this, he had a relationship with Nancy Burnat, an animal rights activist. They started dating in 1983 until Barker’s death and had an on-and-off relationship but remained together until Bob’s death on 26 August 2023 at 99. He died of natural causes even though he had several health challenges over the years.
Apart from that, Bob had a relationship with Dian Parkinson who would law file a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment in 1994. She claimed that she had a 3-year sexual relationship with him in fear of losing her modeling job.
