Most of us at one time or another have learned of the death of someone whose presence we won't exactly miss, but for propriety's sake we tend to keep those feelings close to the vest.
"Don't speak ill of the dead" is the standard operating procedure, after all.
A Florida man is going viral for doing the exact opposite—letting his recently passed father absolutely have it in a scathing obituary the likes of which most of us could only dream of writing.
In the obit, which was published in Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union over the weekend and can be read in full here, Larry Pfaff Jr. wrote his father's death proves "evil does eventually die."
And that's just scratching the surface of his brutally honest tribute.
Describing his father as a narcissist and an "abusive alcoholic" whose life lasted "much longer than he deserved," Pfaff Jr.'s obit was a master class in both airing dirty laundry and telling people exactly what you think of them.
He wrote:
"[Pfaff] 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."
But Pfaff Jr.'s obit was more than mere insults.
He also revealed the mistreatment he and his siblings endured during their father's life.
"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."
Pfaff Jr. also revealed his father, a New York City police officer, was stripped of his gun and badge because of his alcoholism and abused his first wife.
Speaking with The Florida Times-Union, Pfaff credited the obituary with helping him heal from the trauma inflicted by his father, calling it "a way for me to really cleanse myself and let that part of my life go."
He also told the paper he has heard from others the obituary has helped them do the same.
"I got a call from somebody in St. Augustine that found me and wanted to thank me for posting that because, you know, they had a similar life, and they wanted to be able to do something similar to help heal."
"They just thanked me for, you know, the honesty."
On Twitter, Pfaff Jr.'s obit definitely made an impression.
\u201cYeah this is the most scathing obituary i've ever read\n\n"Lawrence Sr.'s passing proves that evil does eventually die, and it marks a time of healing, which will allow his children to get the closure they deserve." \n\nhttps://t.co/aL3ZKzm90B\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1657130235
\u201cMan we usually say \u201cbless the dead\u201d. But when you hear what this man says about his father, it might give you a whole new perspective on obituaries. https://t.co/uS0GlPv8AW\u201d— Walter Johnson (@Walter Johnson) 1657160846
\u201cMoral of the story: If you want people to write kindly about you, behave better. https://t.co/6aSAFX8JOv\u201d— Cairelle Crow (@Cairelle Crow) 1657213815
\u201cEvil does eventually die. Whew\ud83d\udd25\u201d— moss girl \ud83c\udf3c (@moss girl \ud83c\udf3c) 1657177799
\u201cproof that evil does eventually die is a bar\u201d— . (@.) 1657155048
\u201c\u201cEvil does eventually die\u201d is vaguely encouraging to us all. I hope these children find peace. https://t.co/j0CqKvJwWk via @nbcnews\u201d— MN Eyes (@MN Eyes) 1657201080
\u201c\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude2d so many quotables\n\n\u201cliving a long life, much longer than he deserved\u201d\n\n\u201cevil does truly die\u201d\n\n\u201cIt will be hard to miss, because he was so narcissistic\u201d\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Mandy (@Mandy) 1657180085
\u201cWell, damn. I bet this felt therapeutic to write.\u201d— Jessi (@Jessi) 1657150630
\u201c@OlMumsyJess File this under \u201cyou should\u2019ve been a better parent/human if you didn\u2019t want your incredibly talented writer child to be honest about you.\u201d I wonder if anyone\u2019s ever gotten a book deal from an obituary?\u201d— Jessi (@Jessi) 1657150630
\u201c\u201cIt will be challenging to miss Lawrence, Sr. because he was narcissistic. He was incapable of love. Lawrence, Sr.'s passing proves that evil does eventually die\u2026\u201d\u201d— Hezeliah Walker (@Hezeliah Walker) 1657134377
While the obit may have made an impression on readers, The Florida Times-Union's parent company Gannett was not impressed.
It has issued an apology for the obit, saying it "did not adhere to our guidelines."
