[imagesource: First Coast News]
Never speak ill of the dead, or so the saying goes.
Most of the time, we’re sad after somebody passes because we never took the chance to tell them what a fine human being they were.
Obituaries written by family and friends sing the praises of the deceased and their life is celebrated. Sometimes, there can be unexpected consequences, but for the most part, they bring people together in times of grief.
Then there’s the obituary for Lawrence Pfaff Senior (pictured above), written by his son, Larry Pfaff Junior, which very much deviates from the norm.
Pfaff Junior went as far as to say the passing of his 81-year-old father is proof that “evil does eventually die” in the obituary first published in Florida Times-Union, and since taken down.
Here are some excerpts from the obit via Jacksonville:
He passed away on June 27, 2022, living a long life, much longer than he deserved. He is survived by his three children, no four. Oops, five children. Well as of 2022 we believe there is one more that we know about, but there could be more.
His love was abundant when it came to himself, but for his children it was limited. From a young age, he was a ladies’ man and an abusive alcoholic, solidifying his commitment to both with the path of destruction he left behind, damaging his adult children, and leaving them broken.
It’s hard to imagine things getting worse from that point on, but they do. Strap in:
Lawrence, Sr’s hobbies included abusing his first wife and children…
Lawrence, Sr. did spend over 20 years in the NYPD, but even his time in service was negligent at best. Because of his alcohol addiction, his Commanding Officer took away his gun and badge, replacing them with a broom until he could get his act together.
Lawrence, Sr. did claim to be clean and sober for over thirty years, but never worked any of the twelve steps, including the eighth and ninth steps with his children, making amends. He possesses no redeeming qualities for his children, including the ones he knew, and the “ones he knew about.”
In conclusion, his son wrote “it will be challenging to miss” him and he will be “remembered for being a father to many, and a dad to none”.
58-year-old Pfaff Junior says he only found out about many of his siblings by doing his own DNA research. This via Huff Post:
…he actually started writing the obit a year ago, while his father was still alive, as “a way for me to really cleanse myself and let that part of my life go.”
The owner of the newspaper chain which published the obituary, The Gannett Company, said the piece should have been flagged as inappropriate prior to publication and regretted the error.
This is far from the first time an obituary has caused controversy around whether or not it should have been published, with a similar incident occurring in 2018 in the Redwood Falls Gazette of Minnesota.
[sources:jacksonville&huffpost]
