Maine woman writes devastating obituary for her mother, who was with a US Marine at the age of 65: “Ding Dong, the witch, is dead”

A Maine woman decided to launch one final attack after the death of her allegedly abusive mother by writing a brutally frank obituary.

Following the death of 65-year-old Florence “Flo” Harrelson in February, her estranged daughter Christina Novak said she wrote the obituary after learning of her mother's death only this month.

“(Harrelson) died without her family by her side, having burned her bridges and left a trail of devastation,” Novak wrote in the obituary published in the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.

The delay came because Harrelson “did not want an obituary, nor did she want anyone, including her family, to know of her death,” Novak wrote in the obituary, because “even in death, she wanted the people she terrorized to live in constant fear and to have to constantly look around.”

“So this is not so much an obituary as it is a public announcement,” Novak wrote.

Novak claimed that her mother, Florence “Flo” Harrelson (pictured), abused her and said she left a “trail of devastation.”

Despite the impetuous nature of her obituary for her own mother, Novak stressed to the Bangor Daily News that she felt no anger while writing the obituary, but rather just relief to be able to get her final thoughts out there.

“When I wrote it, I wasn't crazy, I wasn't angry. I was actually sitting there with pen and paper and giggling to myself,” Novak said.

Novak also proudly shared the obituary on her Facebook page, accompanying an image of the text with the song “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead.”

She reportedly described her mother as a violent and manipulative woman and claimed she was not the only family member who felt relief after her death.

In an earlier text exchange Novak shared on Facebook, allegedly sent by her mother, Harrelson could be heard telling her daughter, “I do not recognize mentally disabled, lazy, lying people as grandchildren.”

Novak said her mother previously served in the Marines and was a guard at the Maine State Penitentiary, and although she had been diagnosed with cancer, she had heard Harrelson died of heart failure.

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

Mother and daughter had been separated for more than a decade, and Novak said she only learned of it six months after Harrelson's death.

She said she decided to write this devastating obituary because she wanted to know sooner and, most importantly, because it would have saved her months of worrying about her mother reappearing 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 there with a pen and paper and giggling to myself.”

After initially wanting to write a traditional obituary of her mother's life, she found it difficult to find positive words and instead described in detail her numerous alleged misdeeds.

Ultimately, however, it decided not to publish a lengthy reprimand and instead opted for a simpler public announcement.

After Novak finished her four-sentence rant, she ran it through several family members, the Bangor Daily News reported, and the only change was made by an older relative who corrected her spelling mistakes.

She said the obituary cost her $86.13 – at $1.25 per word – which she said was more than worth it given the “priceless” entertainment it provided her.

A second, far more flattering obituary for Harrelson has also surfaced online, although the author and authenticity of the obituary are unclear.

The second obituary said Harrelson was “known for her warm smile and kind heart” and that she was “a pillar of support and support to many in Maine.”

And while Novak said her mother's reluctance to write an obituary was her attempt to torment her family one last time, the second obituary instead said it “speaks volumes about what a humble and selfless person she was.”

“She never sought recognition or praise for her good deeds, but always put 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.