We have many different relationships in our lives but often, is the relationship we have with our mother that really stands out above the rest. Unfortunately, that is not true in every family.
Even though many daughters look to their mother as a source of comfort and inspiration, the relationship can be somewhat complex at times. There may even be times when the mother plays mind games and the daughter needs to protect her own well-being.
It’s important to set up certain boundaries when there is a lot of narcissism or sarcasm associated with the relationship. We’re sure that’s what was going on in the following instance when the daughter had to write an obituary for her mother.
After the short and not so sweet obituary was written, many people were upset that the daughter would ever do something like that. Considering the amount of damage that may have happened in the background, however, Florence may have gotten the obituary she should have gotten.
It all took place when Florence ‘Flo’ Harrelson passed away and her daughter, Christina Novak took it upon herself to write an obituary. It was unconventional, to say the least, and read more like a public service announcement for mother-daughter relationships that had gone bad.
Novak said that the relationship that she and others had with her mother was complicated. That is what caused the obituary to be so unusual. She also never thought that people outside of the local area would see the obituary, but is went viral worldwide.
The obituary was published on August 30 and it reads: “Florence ‘Flo’ Harrelson, 65, formerly of Chelsea, died on Feb. 22, 2024, without family by her side due to burnt bridges and a wake of destruction left in her path.
“Florence did not want an obituary or anyone including family to know she died. That’s because even in death, she wanted those she terrorized to still be living in fear looking over their shoulders. So, this isn’t so much an obituary but more of a public service announcement.“
According to Novak, her mother passed away and it was months before anyone in the family knew about it. She had not spoken with her mother in more than 10 years and only found out about the death after things got noticeably quieter.
She also googled the name and found a death certificate so she confirmed with her aunt, who was her mother’s identical twin sister. She said:
“I messaged my aunt, her identical twin sister, and I’m like, ‘Did Mom die?’ And she’s like, ‘I don’t know. After some digging, I discovered it was her.”
The few words that were written in the paper also reflect the problems that Novak faced when she was under the rule of her mother. She said that her mother and her former partner played a ‘prank’ and grabbed her by the arms and legs to pretend to throw her off a bridge. She said: “I still can’t drive over a bridge without getting an anxiety attack.”
The obituary cost $1.25 to put in the paper she said she sent it to our own first but when she didn’t hear back in 24 hours, it was posted. Eventually, her aunt did comment on a typo, saying: it’s destruction not distraction.”
Many people who read the obituary questioned her motives, pointing out that her mother was dead and that it wasn’t necessary to say anything. She admits that her uncle Bill would’ve probably gotten a ‘chuckle out of it.’
Mother-daughter relationships can be a beautiful thing but when problems occur, it can cause issues for a lifetime. This is just an example of how things can go south in a relationship and there is no healing.