Beth Chapman Honored With Traditional Hawaiian Memorial Service

Scott Baumgartner‍
Updated

Beth Chapman was remembered over the weekend with an emotional service featuring some cherished Hawaiian traditions.

On Saturday, friends and family gathered in Waikiki to pay tribute to the late Dog the Bounty Hunter star. The service included some words from her husband, Duane "Dog" Chapman, a ‘oli, or chant, and a traditional Hawaiian blessing. Afterward, attendees paddled out from Fort DeRussy Beach Park and tossed flowers in the ocean to honor her life and memory.

"The Hawaiian prayer was given and Dog trembled with grief," Camie Mahkovtz, owner of jewelry company A Piece of My Heart Hawaii, told ET. "Everyone was very kind and considerate as we all gathered around our brother to give a wonderful Hawaiian send off of to our dear Beth."

Mahkovtz added that the "somber" gathering concluded with Duane "slipping out the back" as Chapman's family and friends did the paddle-out.

"[The memorial] was beautiful and overwhelming, for sure," Misti Manasas, a family friend of the Chapmans, told Hawaii News Now. "Hawaii is definitely her heart, and I’m just really grateful that we’re able to be a part of it and be here to support the family."

The event used the hashtag, #AlohaOeMrsDog. 'Oe means "you" in Hawaiian and it is customary to say "Aloha 'Oe" when saying farewell. A traditional song of the same name is often sung at Hawaiian parties and funerals, as well as when people are leaving the islands.

Chapman died at the age of 51 on Wednesday following a near two-year battle with throat cancer. Since her death, the TV personality has been honored and commemorated the world over by fans and friends.

The Waikiki memorial service is the first of two planned for Chapman. The family plans to also have a service in Colorado, where she lived as well.

"One of the last things she said [was], 'This is a test of my faith.' She had faith and then that was it," he told Hawaii News Now. "... There's things you go through when you're dying, like steps. Like you do when you lose someone. You get mad at them and then you go through all these steps. Well, the last step when you're dying is to accept it. And she said to me the other day, 'Honey, that last step I ain't taking.' Go Bethy."

See more on Chapman below.

Reporting by Joseph Corral.

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