<p id=”par-1_66″>Chock Chapple and Joan Vassos left <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-bachelorette/?swcfpc=1″>The Golden Bachelorette</a></em> engaged. Still, fans aren’t confident the couple will ever <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/bachelor-nation-wont-be-seeing-another-golden-wedding-anytime-soon-says-joan-vassos.html/”>walk down the aisle</a>. One of the Kansas native’s most discussed “red flags,” according to fans of the series, was his long engagement to his former partner, Kathy White Goree. Chapple recently opened up about the engagement and why he and White Goree were engaged for so long.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-chock-chapple-says-he-was-respecting-his-former-partner-s-wishes-with-the-long-engagement”>Chock Chapple says he was respecting his former partner’s wishes with the long engagement</h2>
<p id=”par-2_35″>Chock insists that his long engagement to White Goree doesn’t indicate he has a fear of commitment. The insurance executive insists that it was his former partner’s decision to hold off on tying the knot.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/joan-and-chock.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple have a conversation on ‘The Golden Bachelorette'” class=”wp-image-3725859″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple | Disney/Gilles Mingasson</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_55″>In a chat with <a href=”https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/joans-fiance-chock-replies-to-backlash-from-golden-bachelorette-fans/%5C” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Us Magazine, </a>Chapple addressed fan concerns about his willingness to really <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-golden-bachelorette-joan-vassos-chock-chapple-still-together.html/”>commit to Joan Vassos</a>. He said his long engagement doesn’t indicate he fears marriage. During the chat, Chapple insisted that he was ready to make it official with his former partner, but family commitments stopped them from moving forward. </p>
<p id=”par-4_81″>He explains that White Goree wanted to hold off on a wedding until their kids were out of school. They met when they each had children working their way through elementary and high school. Chapple said he supported the decision and was willing to wait until Kathy felt ready to move things forward. They never got the chance to. Kathy died before they could walk down the aisle. One of her children was just a high school student at the time.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/the-men-of-he-golden-bahelorette.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Several contestants from season 1 of ‘The Goldern Bachelorette;’ none have self-eliminated yet” class=”wp-image-3725860″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>‘The Golden Bachelorette’ contestants | Disney/Gilles Mingasson
</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-5_46″>Despite never marrying White Goree, Chapple appears to maintain a connection to her family. He also spoke positively about his marriage to his first wife, Heather Chapple. The pair were married for 12 years before calling it quits, but he insists they had a “good marriage.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-did-chock-chapple-s-former-partner-die”>How did Chock Chapple’s former partner die?</h2>
<p id=”par-6_63″>Chock Chapple’s former fiancee, Kathy White Gorree, died in 2022 after a battle with brain cancer. Chapple explained that the tumor was discovered suddenly, with the diagnosis coming as a shock. According to Chapple, White Gorree had a glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor. According to <a target=”_blank” href=”https://braintumor.org/events/glioblastoma-awareness-day/about-glioblastoma/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Brain Tumor Society</a>, glioblastomas are aggressive and often treatment-resistant. The five-year survival rate is just 6%.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Joan-Chock-The-Golden-Bachelorette.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple sitting next to each other in a field with a picnic in ‘The Golden Bachelorette'” class=”wp-image-3740962″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Joan Vassos and Chock Chapple in ‘The Golden Bachelorette’ | Disney/Gilles Mingasson</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-7_61″>Chapple opened up about her diagnosis and death during his time on <em>The Golden Bachelorette, </em>citing it as the most devastating loss of his life. He and Vassos bonded over <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/should-abc-go-in-a-direction-with-the-lead-of-the-golden-bachelor-season-2.html/”>their grief </a>and seemed to understand each other deeply because of it. Vassos is a widow who lost her husband, John Vassos, in 2022 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.</p>