‘Evil does eventually die’: Florida man pens brutal obituary for his ‘abusive alcoholic’ father

‘Lawrence Sr can be remembered for being a father to many, and a dad to none’

Shweta Sharma
Thursday 07 July 2022 13:26 BST
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Florida man pens brutal obituary for his ‘abusive alcoholic’ father

A Florida man has penned a brutal obituary for his “narcissistic” and “abusive alcoholic” father, saying that his passing proved that “evil does eventually die”.

While most obituaries are emotional odes to loved ones, Larry Pfaff Jr’s obituary is detailed in its sarcasm and anger directed towards his father.

It is punctuated by how the man was “incapable of love” and that his death would only give closure and healing to his siblings.

The 48-year-old’s obituary for Lawrence Pfaff Sr seeks to dissassociate and “cleanse” himself from the alleged damage done to him and his siblings by the latter, including “leaving them broken” by living for “much longer than he deserved”.

“Lawrence H Pfaff Sr was born in Belmont, NY, on April 16, 1941. He passed away on June 27, 2022, living a long life, much longer than he deserved,” said the ruthless obituary posted on The Florida Times-Union on 2 July.

“He 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. 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,” it said.

The obituary listed abuse against his family among Pfaff Sr’s “hobbies”.

“Lawrence, Sr’s hobbies included abusing his first wife and children… He enjoyed the life of a bar fly for many years and had a quaint little living space, studio, above his favorite hole in the wall, the club Nashville,” read the obituary.

He said his father was an NYPD officer for 20 years but the office “took away his gun and badge, replacing them with a broom until he could get his act together” because of his alcohol addiction.

Mr Pfaff Jr concluded by saying it would 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, and it marks a time of healing, which will allow his children to get the closure they deserve. Lawrence, Sr can be remembered for being a father to many, and a dad to none.”

Mr Pfaff Jr told First Coast News that he began writing the obituary when his father was still alive and finished it when his father died on 27 June.

He said it was “a way for me to really cleanse myself and let that part of my life go” and many people have reached out to thank him for his honesty about his deceased parent.

His sister Carolyn Compton who grew up in the same house confirmed his brother’s account of his father, according to The Florida Times-Union.

The company that owns the newspaper, however, issued a statement saying it regrets “any distress this may have caused” to readers.

“We regrettably published an obituary that did not adhere to our guidelines and we are looking into the matter further,” it added.

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