A Michigan woman wrote a blistering obituary about her “monster” of a mother, accusing her of a series of abuses and wrongdoings.
The obituary for Linda Lernal Harvey Cullum Smith Stull, which has since been taken down, was written by her 54-year-old daughter Gayle Harvey Heckman.
“As a mother, Lernal was violent, hateful, and cruel. She physically, mentally, emotionally, verbally, and financially abused Gayle,” the obituary read, according to The Sturgis Journal.
“Lernal accused Gayle of ‘trying to steal her husband’ and proceeded to beat her senselessly,” the obituary continued.
“Gayle and her family forgive Lernal and hope that she has found peace,” the piece concluded. “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 was published in Three Rivers News on 15 December, three days after Stull’s death. The following day, the paper wrote online,“This obituary was significantly shortened due to it just being a spiteful hate piece against a beloved member of our community.”
According to the publication, Ms Heckman is Stull’s first child.
The resentful daughter explained why she wrote the obituary to the Sturgis Journal.
“Well, honestly I wanted to write it for myself because I wanted to clear my name,” Ms Heckman said.
“For 24 years and before that, my mother has had to come up with a reason as to why her daughter isn’t in her life that doesn’t make her look like a monster,” she continued. “I had to reclaim my name.”
Ms Heckman told the outlet that she wasn’t trying to be “hateful” when she wrote the piece, but was expressing that she was “angry.” She explained, “I don’t understand if we don’t talk about this, how are we supposed to…break the cycle of trauma, especially generational trauma.”
The publisher of Wilcox Newspapers, Mike Wilcox told Sturgis Journal that the obituary was “published without a good look on our part.” He added that he removed it from the website “after complaints about its content poured in.”
