Throughout her time on the Golden Bachelorette<\/em><\/a> and the Golden Bachelor<\/em>, Joan Vassos<\/strong><\/a> has made it clear that her family is her No. 1 priority. The ABC star is the proud mom of four children, all of whom she shared with her late husband, John Vassos.\n<\/p>\n Joan\u2019s four adult children are Nicholas, Erica, Allison <\/strong>and Luke<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Nicholas is the oldest child in the family. He works as a senior manager at American Family Insurance and has been with the company since September 2023, according to his LinkedIn<\/a>. Before that, he worked at Geico for nearly two years.<\/p>\n The eldest Vassos son was a high school and college athlete. At his Maryland high school, he excelled on the football, wrestling and rugby teams. He went on to play football at Georgetown University, where he graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration and management in 2013. He then obtained his MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in 2023.<\/p>\n Erica is a third grade teacher in Maryland. Following her graduation from American University with a degree in elementary education and teaching in 2014, Erica began working at The Woods Academy in 2015, per LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Erica married her now-husband, Brent Hiken<\/strong>, in July 2022. The two met after they \u201ccrossed paths at a tiki bar\u201d at Seacrets in Ocean City, Maryland, according to their wedding website<\/a>. Erica and Brent welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in 2023.<\/p>\n While all of Joan\u2019s kids have private social media accounts, Allison appears to be the most off-the-grid. She has owned the Itty Bitty Boutique \u2013 a children\u2019s clothing store in Maryland \u2013 since 2023. Allison attended Towson University and the University of Maryland Global Campus. She married her husband Noah Joseph in 2019 and has two sons.<\/p>\n Since graduating from Marquette University with a degree in corporate communications in 2019, Luke has worked at Okta, an IT company. He has worked his way up the ladder in the company and is currently a corporate account executive. Like his older brother, Luke was a college athlete and played for the lacrosse team at Marquette.<\/p>\n When Joan was on The Golden Bachelor<\/em> in 2023, she had to leave the show early<\/a> to tend to a family matter at home. \u201cI got a text this morning, and I think I need to go home and be a mom right now,\u201d she told lead Gerry Turner<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cSo as much as I don\u2019t want to leave \u2014 and I don\u2019t want to leave our journey \u2014 I got to be a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she didn\u2019t specify what was happening at home at the time, she later shared more information during the Women Tell All special. Joan revealed that her daughter \u2013 Erica \u2013 was struggling with postpartum depression after giving birth to her first child just two weeks before Joan left to film the dating show.<\/p>\n \u201cShe needed me,\u201d Joan explained \u201cShe needed her mom. And I didn\u2019t think twice. I knew I had to be there. I heard it in her voice.\u201d<\/p>\n In a subsequent interview with The Wrap<\/em>, Joan added, \u201cI got home, and my plan was to give [my daughter] some care \u2014 I needed to get her some mental health care. I was in the process of doing that, and I was approached [by producers], and they said, \u2018Do you want to come back?\u2019 and I said, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019d love to come back, let me see how I\u2019m doing with my daughter.\u2019\u201d Although Joan was booked on a flight to return to the show less than one week after her departure, she decided to stay home because her \u201cdaughter wasn\u2019t doing good again.\u201d<\/p>\n After Joan\u2019s exit episode aired, she took to Instagram to assure fans that \u201ceveryone at home is doing great\u201d now.<\/p>\n Joan\u2019s husband, John, died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer. \u201cWhen John and I first fell in love, it was all about family,\u201d Joan said on the Golden Bachelorette. \u201cWe had a joyous, loving household with a lot of people in it, filled with love. When you walked into a room, John made you feel like you were the only person in it. He just had this knack. He made life fun. He made me feel very visible every day.\u201d<\/p>\n The two were married for nearly 33 years at the time of John\u2019s death. While speaking about her late husband, Joan often reflects on what a great husband and father he was.<\/p>\n \u201cTo say he was proud of his kids would be a massive understatement,\u201d John\u2019s obituary said. \u201cThey will carry on his legacy of generosity, his passion for life, and his love of family and friends.\u201d In his football bio on Georgetown\u2019s website, Nicholas listed his father as the \u201cmost influential person in his athletic career.\u201d John was a youth football coach and was enthusiastic about his kids\u2019 sporting events.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWho Are Joan Vassos\u2019 Kids?<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>Joan Vassos Left \u2018The Golden Bachelor\u2019 for Her Daughter Erica<\/h2>\n
![\"joan](\"https:\/\/www.lifeandstylemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joan-vassos-kids-meet-golden-bacehlorette-stars-family.jpg?fit=400%2C500&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Who Was Joan Vassos\u2019 Husband?<\/h2>\n