Media publisher Gannett Company was disrupted by a family controversy after a Florida man wrote a defamatory obituary for his father, which ran in their newspaper, the Florida Times-Union.
In a statement published with First Coast News, Gannet Company issued an apology for causing distress even as there are no U.S. laws supporting a defamation claim against the dead. Nonetheless, the company expressed its regrets for publishing "an obituary that did not adhere to the guidelines" because Lawrence Pfaff Jr. wrote scathing depictions about his "abusive" dad, Lawrence H. Pfaff Sr.
Lawrence Sr. died in June 2022, and Lawrence Jr. admitted to First Coast News that he wrote the obituary as part of his healing process from his father's abuse. The Florida man started writing more than a year ago, without even thinking he would have the opportunity to use the obituary one day. The father and son have been estranged for more than 30 years.
Lawrence H. Pfaff Sr.'s obituary
The son alluded that five or more children survived his father. Lawrence Jr. said he may have more siblings he has not yet met because his father was a ladies' man who "enjoyed the life of a bar fly" as an alcoholic.
Though Lawrence Sr. served with the New York Police Department, his son said he was a negligent cop due to his alcohol addiction. The father allegedly claimed to be sober, but the son said he never worked on making amends with those he hurt, especially his children. Someone who has taken the path to sobriety was supposed to be in programs like 12 Steps, which always included a reconciliation.
Lawrence Jr. said that all of his father's kids are broken as adults. He added that it would be hard to miss someone like his father because he was narcissistic.
"Lawrence, Sr.'s passing proves that evil does eventually die," the son wrote, per the Florida Times-Union. "It marks a time of healing, which will allow his children to get the closure they deserve."
Readers shocked; some related to Lawrence Jr.'s experience
Many readers were shocked by the obituary, per Daily Mail. The old man's friends even wrote messages on the online obituary stating how much they would miss him. However, Lawrence Jr. also received a few words of encouragement and applause for his courage from other readers who could relate to his experience.
One of the messages the son received came from Cathy Nix, who told him that she lived in a kind of hell with a father who was just like Lawrence Sr. She said she was also trying to work on her healing and thanked Lawrence Jr. for speaking up.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Jr. said he does not resent getting the obituary published. He also does not resent that his father is gone because he lost him more than 30 years ago.
The son added that what he said was his truth, and he needed to get the word out that his father damaged his life, so he could finally put this matter to rest.
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