Bob Barker married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Jo Gideon, in 1945 and they shared 36 years of marriage. "We fell in love as kids. And we stayed in love," Barker told People in a 1999 interview. But during the couple's younger years, they never had children. In fact, the idea was never really on the table. "We didn't have time for children," Barker told Esquire in a 2007 "What I've Learned" piece. "I don't regret it, not when so many of my friends are having so much trouble with their children. I have thirteen ducks, and that's a lot of work."
According to The Toronto Star, instead of children, the Barkers adopted stray cats and dogs and kept their family of ducks in the backyard swimming pool at their California home. Sadly, Gideon died in 1981 at age 57 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, and Barker, now age 99, never remarried. "I never had any inclination to remarry," he said in a 2007 interview with "Good Morning America" (via Closer Weekly)."[Dorothy] was my wife."
