Bonnie Joan “BJ” Johannssen, the mother of late Dog the Bounty Hunter star Beth Chapman, is dead. She was 82 at the time of her passing. Chapman’s daughter, Cecily B. Chapman, confirmed the death by sharing photos from the funeral in Colorado in November.
Johannssen, known as BJ to her friends, died on Sunday, Nov. 20, in Littleton, Colorado, according to her obituary. She is survived by her brother, Dennis Lawson; sister Bett Cann Ball; her children Randy Smith, Melinda Lehmann, Tim Smith, and Laurie Gallegos; 14 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. Her memorial service was held at Horan and McConaty Family Chapel in Lakewood, Colorado on Thursday.
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“To my beautiful grandmother, I love you so much words can’t explain the love we had for each other always talking on the phone on a Sunday afternoon,” Chapman, 29, wrote on Instagram from the funeral home. “You helped shape all the woman in our family and instilled so many great lessons in us, forever grateful of your advise, guidance and to always love one another.”
“Rest easy my sweet gramma say hi to grandpa and mom for me we all will miss you dearly and love you unconditionally for as long as we shall live. RIP BJ,” Chapman continued. She later posted an old photo of herself as a baby with her mother and grandmother, simply adding a dove emoji.
Chapman’s mother Beth died on June 26, 2019, at 51, following a long battle with throat cancer, which spread to her lungs. Her cancer battle was a major part of Dog’s Most Wanted, which aired after her death. Chapman’s father is Beth’s first husband, Keith Barmore. Beth also had two children with her second husband, Duane “Dog” Chapman: Bonnie Joanne Chapman, 23, and Garry Chapman, 21.
Last month, Chapman took to Instagram to tell her followers to not donate to “Beth Chapman Memorial, Inc.” She claimed that California documents show an address for the charity that is no longer active. “Where is the money? Where does it go? Why is my mother’s name being used for a bait and switch when even the addresses don’t match up?” Chapman wrote on Nov. 14. “Why is the woman who cheated on my mom with my dadย listed as the Secretary of a scholarship in her name? Why would a woman who claims to be a friend of my mother allow the woman who cheated on my mom to live with her?”
In another post on Nov. 17, Chapman also called out a scholarship fund established in her mother’s name. She claimed it was connected to “the woman who is trying to act like my mother, her daughter, and the woman who slept with my dad as my mom was dying in the hospital.” Chapmanย later wrote, “My mother said many times she was concerned about Karen with her money and now she is listed as the CFO. They all lived together when this was formed. Make it make sense?!”ย
