Becca K.'s Dad Left A Wonderful Legacy Behind For 'The Bachelor' Star

Everyone on The Bachelor has a story, but, frankly, there are so many women on the show that the contestants' backgrounds are only truly revealed in drips and drabs. By the time the hometown dates roll around, we actually get to know these women, and we get to see their families, too. Bachelor contestant Becca Kufrin, aka Becca K., is one of Arie’s chosen four for his hometown dates. Unfortunately, Arie won’t get to meet one of the most important people in Becca’s life, because her dad passed away before she ever went on The Bachelor.

Becca revealed early on in the season that her father had passed away. On a one-on-one date with Arie, Becca talked about her on-again, off-again relationship with her ex-boyfriend of seven years, and she said that one of the reasons she stayed so long with this particular guy was because he really helped her after her father passed away. Becca then talked about how her father got diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer when she was 14, and that her family was actually “lucky” because he lived for five years past his diagnosis, which is a long time for brain cancer patients. It was clear even from that short conversation that Becca cared deeply for her father, and she misses him dearly.

According to his obituary, Steve “Buckshot” Kufrin was born on October 24, 1942, and he passed away on September 20, 2009. A Minnesota man, Kufrin was in the Air Force and even lived in England when he was in the service. He left behind Becca; her mother, Jill; and her sister, Emily. And though “Bucky,” as he was called, loved his family, he had another great love in his life, too — wildlife. According to an article from Outdoor News, Kufrin was a longtime worker of the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Services who lobbied “on behalf of ducks and their habitats” and who was the “point man for a USFWS program that helped rural landowners — with financial and technical assistance — preserve wetlands… throughout the Midwest.” He was even dubbed “Man Of The Year” by Outdoor News in 2005. Kufrin’s love of ducks even crept into his 1983 wedding to his wife, Jill — according to the Star Tribune, the ceremony was followed by Kufrin’s friends, all clad in camouflage, giving a 21-gun salute and ushering the newly wedded couple through town on a duck boat hitched to a trailer.

Outdoor News speaks in depth about how Kufrin was the go-to man in the area for conservation, fighting tooth and nail to maintain the beautiful wetlands he loved to spend time in. In 2005, the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service dedicated a 739-acre waterfowl production area in Kufrin’s name, and he also received the National Wetlands Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award from the USFWS — both fitting tributes to the man who wanted to protect the lands he had grown up in.

Obviously, Arie cannot meet Becca’s father, but he will be meeting Becca’s mother, sister, and probably an uncle or two (or the like). Arie’s presence will probably be bittersweet for Becca — she will be happy to bring a man she loves home to her family, but it will be sad that her father could not meet Arie too. Luckily, there will be many other family members there, but, from the looks of the episode preview, they’re not quite sure about Arie. Whatever Becca (and the rest of the Kufrin family, too) decides about The Bachelor, it's a safe bet that Steve Kufrin would at least be proud to see how his daughter has grown up into a wonderful woman.