Daughter Speaks Out After Brutal 4-Sentence Obituary For Her Mom Goes Viral

A Maine woman is shedding some light on the scathing obituary she wrote for her mother, after it went viral and made headlines internationally last month.

Christina Novak’s four-sentence obit for her mom, Florence “Flo” Harrelson, was published in the Kennebec Journal on Aug. 30. The succinct write-up stated that the 65-year-old died “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,” it continued. “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.”

Now, Novak is clarifying that she was dead serious.

“It’s a PSA and it’s no joke,” she told People in an interview published on Saturday. “It was written with sarcasm and relief, but it’s real.”

She added that she made the obituary so concise because obituaries are priced by the word and she “refused to spend another dollar on that woman.”

Novak, 47, told her mom “took sport” in “ruining” birthdays and Christmases. She also alleged that when she was a child, her mother took her to a bridge, where she and her partner grabbed the girl’s legs and pretended they were going to throw her in the water ― an incident that Novak says gives her anxiety attacks to this day.

She added that she got approval from her mother’s twin sister before submitting the obituary, but they never intended for it to get any attention beyond their local community.

Novak may be used to her family getting some attention, however, as she’s the niece of William “Wild Bill” Davenport, who was known for his colorful appearances on reality show “Maine Cabin Masters.” Davenport died last year at the age of 73, and was given a much longer and more flattering obit.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Florence Harrelson’s last name.