A Maine woman decided to take one last shot at her allegedly abusive mother after her death by writing a brutally candid obituary. 

Following the passing of Florence ‘Flo’ Harrelson, 65, in February, her estranged daughter Christina Novak said she wrote the obituary after only finding out this month that her mother had passed. 

‘(Harrelson) died without family by her side due to burnt bridges and a wake of destruction left in her path,’ Novak wrote on the obituary, published in the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.

The delay came because Harrelson ‘did not want an obituary or anyone including family to know she died’, Novak wrote, 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,’ Novak added. 

Novak alleged that her mother Florence ‘Flo’ Harrelson (pictured) was abusive to her, and said she had a ‘wake of destruction left in her path’ 

Despite the savage nature of the obituary she wrote about her own mother, Novak insisted to Bangor Daily News that she did not feel angry while writing it, and only felt relieved to get her final thoughts off her chest. 

‘When I wrote it. I wasn’t mad, I wasn’t angry. I was actually sitting with pen and paper and giggling to myself,’ Novak said. 

Novak also proudly shared the obituary to her Facebook page, and accompanied an image of the text with the song, ‘Ding dong, the witch is dead.’ 

She reportedly described her mother as an abusive and manipulative woman, and claimed she was not the only family member to feel relief after her death. 

In a previous text exchange Novak shared to her Facebook allegedly sent by her mother, Harrelson was seen telling her daughter: ‘I don’t acknowledge mentally challenged, lazy, lying people as grandchildren.’ 

Novak said her mother previously served in the Marines and was a guard in the Maine State Prison, and although she was diagnosed with cancer, she heard Harrelson died from heart failure. 

During her time as a prison guard, Harrelson was sued by an inmate who alleged that she, and other officers, attempted to hire another inmate to assault him. 

The mother and daughter had been estranged for over a decade, and Novak said she only found out about Harrelson’s death six months after it happened. 

She said she decided to write the scathing obituary because she would have wanted to know sooner, primarily because she could have avoided months of being worried her mother might reappear in her life. 

Despite the brutal nature of the obituary, Novak admitted: ‘When I wrote it. I wasn’t mad, I wasn’t angry. I was actually sitting with pen and paper and giggling to myself’ 

After initially starting to write a traditional obituary on her mother’s life, Novak said she struggled to find any positive words and instead detailed her many alleged wrongdoings. 

In the end, however, she decided not to publish a long rebuke, and instead opted for a simpler public service announcement. 

After finishing the four-sentence scolding, Novak said she ran it by several family members, with the only change coming from an older relative fixing her spelling mistakes, reports Bangor Daily News. 

She said the obituary cost her $86.13 – at $1.25-a-word – which she said was more than worth it for the ‘priceless’ entertainment it provided her. 

A second, far more complimentary obituary for Harrelson also emerged online, however the author and authenticity of the obituary are not clear. 

The second obituary said Harrelson was ‘known for her warm smile and kind heart’, and said she was ‘a pillar of strength and support for many in Maine.’ 

And while Novak said her mother’s reluctance to have an obituary was her attempt at tormenting her family one last time, the second obituary instead argued it ‘speaks volumes about the humble and selfless person she was.’ 

‘She never sought recognition or praise for her good deeds, always putting others before herself. Her legacy will live on in the countless lives she touched and the memories she created with her loved ones,’ the tribute concluded.  

Last year, a collective sigh of relief echoed through Maine’s recovery and harm reduction communities as the state witnessed a drop in overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023. This decrease translates to around 120 Mainers whose lives were likely saved by the policy changes advocated for by people in recovery and those who use drugs, passed by the Maine Legislature, and supported by the Mills administration. While these numbers give us much to celebrate, they also underscore the challenges that remain.

Despite the progress, Maine still faced the heartbreaking loss of over 600 individuals last year, including our friends Fred and Brian. The toll of the opioid epidemic on our state has been immense, and we are both exhausted from attending the funerals of our loved ones.

These losses are a stark reminder that our work is far from over.

Gov. Mills’ recognition of the balance between celebration and continued effort was evident at her 6th Annual Opioid Summit in Auburn a few weeks ago. The governor did an excellent job of bringing together key stakeholders in this crucial fight and facilitating nuanced conversations in a public setting. We want to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to Gov. Mills for her commitment to addressing the opioid crisis in Maine. As people who have personally experienced substance use disorders and lost many friends to this disease, we understand the high stakes in this battle.

We also want to acknowledge Gov. Mills’ willingness to listen to and engage with those who have lived experience with SUDs. During the 130th Legislature, it appeared that Gov. Mills was inclined to veto the Good Samaritan Bill, sponsored by former Sen. Chloe Maxmin. However, in the final moments, after some invaluable conversations, she chose to sign the bill into law. This decision, along with the Mills administration’s significant investment in naloxone and harm reduction services, likely contributed to the dramatic reduction in overdose deaths in 2023. These efforts deserve considerable credit and praise.

However, we know that Maine can do better than 600 deaths and we are ready to continue to work to ensure we do.

Last year, a bill that would have allowed towns to establish Overdose Prevention Centers passed in the Maine House with bipartisan support but narrowly failed in the Senate, ultimately being converted into a study commission. We believe that this was a direct result of the governor indicating that she would have vetoed the bill had it reached her desk as written.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to mourn the lives of our loved ones and to commit to action, we urge Gov. Mills to reconsider her stance on this policy – just like she did with the expanded Good Samaritan Law. There is clear evidence from around the world that Overdose Prevention Centers save lives – not just by preventing overdoses, but also by addressing other health and safety concerns.

Overdose is not the only danger facing people who use drugs. The risks of contracting hepatitis C or HIV are also high. In 2021, Maine had the highest rate of reported acute hepatitis C cases in the United States. Additionally, there is currently a deeply concerning HIV outbreak in Bangor that seems to be flying under the public radar. All of these risks could be significantly reduced if Maine were to pass a bill allowing Overdose Prevention Centers to operate. We hope Gov. Mills will reconsider her position on this important issue.

We ask that Gov. Mills continue to listen to the recovery and harm reduction community as we work together to keep our friends, neighbors and loved ones safe. We look forward to collaborating with her in the 132nd Legislature to authorize overdose prevention centers in Maine.

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Emily Burrill, a freshman from Sullivan, carries a monitor into Upton Hastings Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Friday, move-in day for USM’s freshman class. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

First thing Friday morning, volunteers were on the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham wearing bright yellow “Welcome to USM” shirts and guiding vehicles to the front of Upton-Hastings Hall.

Hastings is one of several residence halls on campus where students are moving in this weekend. Dean of Students Rodney Mondor said roughly 550 freshman were scheduled to arrive Friday.

They include Emily Burrill, who is undecided on her major but thinks she might study physical therapy.

“I’m a little nervous, but my roommate seems really cool,” Burrill said.

Her father Richard joked he was “undecided still” about Burrill leaving home. They drove in from Sullivan, a town in Hancock County more than three hours away.

“He’ll miss me,” Burrill said.

“I just can’t believe she’s 18, going off to school,” Richard Burrill said.

Around them, students and their families were carrying pop-up chairs, shelves, lamps, dishes and bins of quick groceries.

“Gotta grab the coffee maker,” one mom laughed, following her daughter into the dorm. “Because that’s most important.”

Rose Brassard, left, Lily Allard, center, and Lauren Pflanz look over items at the free yard sale at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Friday. The university’s Office of Sustainability collects items students leave behind when they depart the dorms in the spring and offer them free to incoming students in the fall. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

On a lawn nearby, there was an even larger assortment of dorm room items for the taking at USM’s “free yard sale.”

Steve Sweeney is the Resource Recovery Supervisor for the school’s Office of Sustainability. At the end of every school year, the school accepts things students no longer want that’s still in usable condition, he said.

They’ll donate electric fans, books, shelves, shower caddies, clothing hangers, furniture and even dishes (some taken from the dining hall). Some of the more unusual items on display Friday morning include a bowl of nerf darts, a tie-dye kit and a snowman waffle iron.

Anything that isn’t taken this weekend will end up at the Freestore, which is open to students and staff throughout the year.

Sweeney said this saves the school about $2,000 a year that they used to spend on renting dumpsters.

“The students also save a lot of money by not having to buy this stuff,” he said.

Mondor, the dean of students, watched late Friday morning as roughly a dozen students perused the yard sale. He said he was looking forward to orientation this weekend, including an event to help new students navigate the bus system.

“With new students comes all kinds of new adventures,” Mondor said. “It’s always exciting because we have no idea what October will look like.”

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