Duane 'The Dog' Chapman has been physically and emotionally distraught over the past five months since he lost his wife.
Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and celebrate. Sometimes, it comes with a hint of grief if you have lost someone recently. The Chapman brood was one of those families who had a lot to be thankful for but they couldn't help but be sad for the beloved person they lost.
Duane "the Dog" Chapman and his family spent their first Thanksgiving after losing their beloved matriarch Beth Chapman, 51, to cancer. Dog the Bounty Hunter had learned to cook a turkey just for the occasion because traditions should stay alive. He began the holiday with a post on social media wishing his followers on the occasion.
"HAPPY THANKSGIVING," he posted on Instagram. He also shared that they have set up a memorial scholarship to honor his late wife, according to People.
"For those of you that don’t know, A Beth Chapman Memorial Scholarship non-profit was established in her honor," the post said. "This scholarship is designated for those wanting to complete their GED/HiSet test. http://www.mrsdog.org Please share. #ThisOnesForBeth #DogsMostWantedSeason2"
The bounty hunter, 66, shared his Thanksgiving plans with People earlier in the week and told them he was responsible for cooking the turkey this year. "I hope there is a guide on YouTube!" he joked. "Several family members are coming for the meal and my children are all freaked out because I’m cooking," he said. "The daughters will be bringing other dishes to go with the turkey. We always realize what the day of Thanksgiving means, so we all talk about the main thing we are thankful for," said the father.
"We also have an award we give out, which is called the Butthole of the Turkey award and it goes to the most difficult child of that previous year," he said, adding that it would probably go to his youngest son, Garry.
He has 10 children, two of whom are with Beth. He shares Bonnie and Garry with Beth, and her adopted daughter, Cecily. From his previous marriages, he has Duane, Leland, Wesley, James, Barbara, Tucker, and Lyssa.
Cecily shared a Thanksgiving post on social media remembering her mother.
They lost Beth on June 26 in 2019 and it has been a difficult year for the family. Chapman has been open about his emotional struggles since losing his wife of more than a decade. The Chapman patriarch had a health scare in September, which he said happened because of a "broken heart."
"I'm going through some psychological things right now too, so that doesn't help," Chapman, who married Beth in 2006, told KDVR. "I think, basically, I had a broken heart. And of course, it's going to heal."
His family and fans had been concerned over the reality TV star's health but he assured people that he is "feeling much better, health-wise."
"I will never, ever be the same emotionally, because there’s a huge piece of my heart that isn’t there anymore, but I have to remain Dad and the Dog," said he to People. He admitted in August that he should have died before his wife of 13 years. He has also said he had considered taking his own life because the grief of losing her had been too much.
"I don’t realize yet psychologically that she’s gone, gone and I’ll never, ever see her. I don’t realize that. I just hope that I don’t live very much longer without her, because now she made the first step, she’s through the gate. She paved a way for me. I want to take a god damn pain pill so bad," he said during the finale of Dog’s Most Wanted, according to Daily Mail.
Staying together as a family and supporting each other can be helpful in overcoming grief and the holidays are the best time for that.
References:
https://kdvr.com/2019/09/18/i-had-a-broken-heart-dog-the-bounty-hunter-interview-health-scare/
https://people.com/tv/dog-bounty-hunter-first-thanksgiving-after-beth-chapman-death/
