Woman's Scathing Obituary of Abusive Mother Removed from Newspaper Website

Gayle Harvey Heckman accuses the newspaper of protecting child abusers after it pulled her mother's obituary detailing decades of abuse.

Gayle Harvey Heckman, a Michigan woman, wrote a scathing obituary for her late mother, Linda Lernal Harvey Cullum Smith Stull, accusing her of decades of physical, mental, emotional, verbal, and financial abuse, including allowing suitors to sexually abuse Heckman.
The obituary was initially published in Wilcox Newspapers but was later removed from their website following complaints about its content.
Heckman criticized the newspaper for removing the obituary, accusing them of shielding child abusers.
Heckman stated that the obituary was an attempt to 'reclaim her name' and counter narratives spun by her mother to justify their estrangement.
Heckman expressed that the obituary was not only cathartic for her, but also intended to help others in similar situations and break the cycle of generational trauma.