'Leave It to Beaver's' Jerry Mathers Is Happily Married for 11 Years — He Wed at 62 after His Ex Abandoned Him

"Leave It To Beaver" star Jerry Mathers was unlucky in love many times in his life. After losing one wife, his second left him because he was no longer the person she thought he was. He only found love again at a late stage.

Jerry Mathers had a successful career as a Hollywood actor but soon came to understand that his fame was something he could not live with and something he could not live without, especially when it came to his personal life and relationships.

Once "Leave It To Beaver" went off the air, Mathers was cast in the spinoff "The New Leave It To Beaver," and it was here that he met his second wife, Rhonda Gehring. When they met, Mathers was immediately captivated.

He even pointed out that the public relations worker had a "mind for business, but her body was designed for sin." The couple soon married and had three children; Noah, Mercedes, and Gretchen.

However, when Mathers took a hiatus from acting, he began rapidly gaining weight. The star said at that point in his life; food was all he could ever think about. He even admitted:

"Rhonda would meet me at the door in some Frederick's of Hollywood outfit, and all I would fantasize about was food.”

It was around this time that the couple's marital issues began. They became distant because of his grueling work schedule, and when he was home, he did not want to socialize and became reclusive.

Mathers said this was not the life that Rhonda had signed up for. His wife found someone new and left Mathers. He said that people think being married to a celebrity will be fun until they have to do it.

MATHERS REBUILT HIS LIFE AFTER HEARTBREAK

Mathers described his wife wanting a divorce as a "bombshell" that he took a long time to overcome. Following the divorce, Rhonda said that Mathers was nothing like Ward Cleaver but that he was still a good father and husband.

Many found it strange that Rhonda would reference Mathers' show in their divorce, and one of the most confused people was Mathers. In his book, he said:

“Wow! This was so weird to me. How can I compete with a fictional character? My own wife was seeking the type of love demonstrated by my fictional father to my fictional mother.”

However, Mathers did not condemn Rhonda for what she said or did during their divorce and instead focused on getting healthy again and rebuilding his life, so he felt whole again.

Mathers lost fifty pounds and went from being diabetic to being pre-diabetic. He said that diabetes in the United States was reaching epidemic proportions, which is why he is now involved in diabetes awareness.

The star revealed that he saw a doctor while still overweight who asked if he would like to see his children graduate, get married, and have their own children. Mathers excitedly answered that he would.

The doctor then told him that if he did not lose a drastic amount of weight fast, he would be dead in the following two to three years and unable to witness any of the above. Only then did he understand the severity of his illness.

Once Mathers had dropped the weight and got his physical and mental well-being back under control, his love life soon turned for the better.

MATHERS FOUND HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Mathers' journey to becoming well took some time, but his love life began flourishing once he got back on track. Mathers met his third wife through his sister, who was best friends with his wife's sister.

Mathers' sister and her best friend decided that they had the perfect date for him. They told Mathers as much, but he didn't believe them. That was until he met Teresa Modnick, his future wife.

The couple met up for a date and hit it off straight away. Modnick revealed that it was a blind date for Mathers, but for her, it wasn't, as she had grown up watching "Leave It To Beaver" and knew exactly who he was.

Modnick then revealed that Mathers picked a restaurant where he knew he would enjoy the food as he had eaten there before. She went on to explain:

"If the date didn't work out, he'd have the very best lunch.”

Although the date went very well, and the couple knew it would be a long-term arrangement, they did not rush into anything too serious. It was only five years after they began dating that they got engaged.

At 62 years old, Mathers proposed to Modnick, and she agreed to be his wife. The couple then revealed that they were engaged with an engagement shoot where Mathers wore jeans and a black dress shirt while Modnick wore black slacks and a blue blouse.

The couple seemed calm and content in the released photos in November 2010. They married in January 2011 in Huntington Beach at Waterfront Beach Resort. Mathers wore a black three-piece suit with a white waistcoat and bow tie.

Modnick was a beautiful bride in a white gown with a matching bolero jacket and a stunning round bouquet of red roses. She completed the look with a pearl necklace and wore her should-length hair down.

In 2021, Mathers took to his Instagram page to wish his wife a happy 10th wedding anniversary. He shared a snap of the couple on their wedding day and said:

“So happy celebrating 10 years of married bliss on our anniversary with my beautiful and adoring wife, lifetime partner and my perfect soulmate!”

The couple then received good wishes from fans and friends alike as they took to the comment section to say what a beautiful couple Mathers and Modnick are. One commenter even mentioned that they were made for one another.

Mathers has now fully retired from acting, and he and Modnick live on a ranch where they keep horses. The couple is still happily married, and we wish them nothing but the best for their remaining years.