Duane “Dog” Chapman reached out to the family of his late wife, Beth Chapman, to see that some of her ashes are buried with her mother, Bonnie Joan “BJ” Johannssen. Although Chapman had a service for Beth in Hawaii after her death in 2019, he used ceremonial ashes for the memorial. Johannssen died in November at 82.
The Dog the Bounty Hunter star’s representative told TMZ Sunday that one of Johannssen’s final wishes was to be laid to rest with Beth. Chapman, 69, heard the request and reached out to Beth’s sister Melinda to make it happen. Chapman gave Melinda some of Beth’s ashes. Beth had a difficult relationship with her mother, but they reconciled before her death, Chapman’s rep said.
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Beth died on June 26, 2019, at 51, following a battle with stage two throat cancer that later spread to her lungs. After her death, Chapman had a memorial in her honor at DeRussy Beach in Waikiki, Hawaii. He was thought to have spread her ashes during that event, but his representatives told TMZ that he used ceremonial ashes. Some of Beth’s real ashes were spread in other places that were important in Beth’s life.
“I understand now what rest in peace truly means. I’m hopeful Beth can now rest in peace,” Chapman told TMZ Sunday. Chapman and Beth were married from 2006 until her death and shared two children, Bonnie Joanne Chapman, 23, and Garry Chapman, 21. Beth is also survived by her daughter, Cecily B. Chapman, 29, whose father is Beth’s first husband, Keith Barmore.
Johannssen, known as “BJ” to her friends, died on Nov. 20 in Littleton, Colorado. Her memorial was held on Dec. 1 at Horan and McConaty Family Chapel in Lakewood, Colorado. Cecily shared a heartbreaking tribute to her grandmother on Instagram.
“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,” Cecily wrote. “You helped shape all the women 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.”
Cecily and Bonnie have been working hard to take control of the Beth Chapman Memorial, Inc. non-profit. In a Dec. 30 statement, Bonnie warned fans not to donate until their attorneys have completed a forensic audit so they can be sure the donations will be put to good use. “Our plans for the scholarship are to be much more transparent and create a board of women who genuinely love Beth and want to carry her legacy on,” Bonnie wrote.
