A Michigan woman blasted her dead mother in an obituary published through Wilcox Newspaper, Sturgis Journal reported Thursday.
An obituary penned by Gayle Harvey Heckman about her late mother, Linda Lernal Harvey Cullum Smith Stull, was removed from online circulation after it stirred controversy, according to Sturgis Journal. The obituary reportedly accused the deceased of severe abuses.
Heckman stated her intention behind the obituary in a phone interview with Sturgis Journal.
“Well, honestly I wanted to write it for myself because I wanted to clear my name,” she said. For years, she said she felt compelled to counter the narratives spun by her mother to justify their estrangement. The obituary was her way of setting the record straight, she told the outlet. (RELATED: The Washington Post Gave A Nicer Obituary To ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Than To Robert Trump)
Michigan woman attacks dead mom in scathing obituary that was pulled from site https://t.co/QA2qU9fsCs pic.twitter.com/4SYT3HMrQN
— New York Post (@nypost) December 22, 2023
The removal of the obituary from the website came as a disappointment to Heckman, who had expected the publisher to reach out if there were any concerns, according to Sturgis Journal. Mike Wilcox, Wilcox Newspaper’s publisher, admitted to the oversight in an email to Sturgis Journal.
“Obit was run in TR (Three Rivers) print edition (Dec. 15). It was submitted through our website, and was published without a good look on our part,” Wilcox told Sturgis Journal. “We took it down from (the) website after complaints about its content poured in. After taking (it) down, several (mostly the daughter) complaints and phone calls were received admonishing us for doing so.”
The obituary reportedly detailed a series of alleged abuses by Lernal against Heckman, among them sexual assault against her and deceit regarding her biological father. “As a mother, Lernal was violent, hateful, and cruel. She physically, mentally, emotionally, verbally, and financially abused Gayle,” the obituary explained, Sturgis Journal reported.
Despite its harsh tone, the obituary reportedly concluded with a message of forgiveness and hope for peace, both for Lernal and her family. “Gayle and her family forgive Lernal and hope that she has found peace. They also hope to find peace within themselves. Lernal will not be missed by Gayle or her family. They all understand the world is a much better place without her,” the obituary concluded.