An 87-year-old diehard Democrat, Frances Irene Finley Williams, in Kentucky passed away the day before November. And the family says President Donald Trump had a large part to do with it. In fact, Williams told her daughter in early 2018 that, "If I die soon, all this Trump stuff has had an effect.”
When Williams passed, her family decided to make a rather strange move: they added a line in her obituary to place partial blame on Trump for the woman's death, the Courier Journal reported.
“Her passing was hastened by her continued frustration with the Trump administration.”
The obituary with the line was submitted to a local paper by the Cremation Society of Kentucky, which handled Williams' arrangements. It was accepted but then, just days before the obituary was set to run, it was rejected. According to the newspaper, the obituary would be accepted if the line about Trump was removed.
“We are not able to publish the obituary as is, due to the negative content within the obituary text," the newspaper told the family.
Williams' son, Art, was taken back by the decision.
“I was — and still am, dumbfounded, surprised — but most of all disappointed and aghast,” he wrote on Facebook. “My mom would have been offended — and I hope you are too."
The family eventually removed the line and the obituary was published.
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Gannett, the owners of the newspaper, said they ban “negative content” in obituaries but there's no clear indication of when that policy began.
But the Courier Journal said the obituary should have been published as it was.
Mrs. Williams’ obituary should have published as it was presented to our obits team and as requested by the family,” said Richard Green, the Courier Journal’s editor. “In this political climate we now find ourselves, partisanship should have no role in deciding what gets included in an obituary that captures a loved one’s life — especially one as amazing as what Mrs. Williams led. I’m certain she is missed greatly by those who loved her. We send the family our deepest condolences and apologies.”
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