Duane and daughter Bonnie Chapman celebrated their favorite lady in Colorado while Cecily and Lyssa Chapman honored Beth in Hawaii.
Families come together in their grief on death anniversaries and share a moment together to support each other. Observing someone's death anniversary is after all more about the people alive than those who have left. It's a day to share the stories of the person and celebrate their life. No family can forget one of their most important member, their mother, after they are gone. And Beth Chapman, the bounty hunter who was married to Duane "Dog" Chapman, is the same.
The former matriarch of the bounty hunting reality TV show passed away on June 26, 2019, after battling throat cancer at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. She was 51. Previously, Duane Chapman had said that the family would be paddling out at Waimanalo Beach. "Prayer will take place on the beach and in the water. Bring your board and flowers so we can remember Mrs. Dog the right way. Not in Hawaii. Go on a walk, hike and take a picture," he had said on a post on Instagram.
According to The Sun UK, the family filled inflatable rafts with Beth's favorite flowers, belongings, and her photo. Then, they took it to her favorite spots and set it free to float down the river. Dog, 67, was accompanied by his fiance Francie Frane and daughter Bonnie during the "celebration of life" for his late wife. While his daughter Cecily celebrated her mother in Hawaii, he was in South Platte River in Deckers, Colorado, one of Beth's favorite places. That is where they used to celebrate Father's Day weekend every year. She used to float in the river and he would fish there during the weekend.
Dog said that he still could not believe that his wife was "never coming home" and that a whole year had passed since her death. The day was a mixed bag of emotions as loved ones spoke about the brave woman and teared up because they missed her so much.
"In a lot of religions and a lot of beliefs, they mark it as a tradition on the one year date that someone has passed away. So sticking with tradition we are having this memorial for Beth Chapman. We had two send-offs when she passed away, one in Hawaii and one in Colorado. [My daughter] Cecily is doing the one in Hawaii where they all paddle out and she said a thousand or more people showed up. Every Father's Day, Beth would like to come to this river and come down in the exact raft you can see here. I would always sit here - cold, wet, raining - she always went. Usually the weather stayed fine. But she loved it, we went five or six times," he told the tabloid.
"She'd go down and then I'd pick her up at the end of the road. I'd wait like half hour and then go pick her up. Then she'd say, 'Do it again, do it again' - it's like a kid on a rollercoaster - they won't get off. So today I think it's a good tradition that we do for Beth. And I brought Francie along and I brought my sister Michelle and I'm not sure I could have done this alone without Francie. I can't believe it's been a whole year and she's never coming home. So we have to do the memorial and not be too over-sad and then we'll watch the next generation go down the South Platte River," he added.
The Chapman patriarch, who has been open about his feelings of grief on losing his partner, said, "So how the family has got through this is joining and staying more together. If I don't call one of them and they don't call me they think I've abandoned them. So it has brought our family closer together. I think this is a really nice thing to do for Beth and she would be so proud we thought of this."
Meanwhile, Cecily shared a photo from her Hanauma Bay Ridge Hike on Instagram with the caption, "#ForTheLoveofBeth 1 Year sunrise Hike." She shared a photo of her mother and father along with other pictures, according to PEOPLE.
When Beth passed away last year, Dog had announced the news on Twitter by saying that if she were alive, she would be going on a sunrise hike. So this seems like the most befitting way to honor the beloved bounty hunter.
It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.
— Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) June 26, 2019
References:
https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1048568/dog-the-bounty-hunter-memorial-beth-death-anniversary/
https://people.com/tv/beth-chapmans-family-hold-sunrise-hike-on-1-year-anniversary-of-her-death/
