Daughter reflects on obituary that went viral in newspaper

AUGUSTA – Christina Mills Novak clarifies: She wrote a public service announcement for her mother, Florence “Flo” Harrelson, not an obituary.

In fact, she never intended to write an obituary for Harrelson, who was 65 when she died earlier this year.

This obituary for Florence “Flo” Harrelson appeared in the August 30 editions of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel.

Still, late last month, Novak sat down to write four sentences about her estranged mother and submitted them to the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel on Aug. 29, where they were published the next day.

When the obituary appeared on centralmaine.com the next evening, Novak typed “Flo Harrelson” into Facebook and saw that the topic on the page was “Popular Right Now.” The very next morning, Novak's words were in People magazine, the New York Post and the Daily Mail, a London tabloid.

“I'm pretty confused. I feel like I'm being pranked,” Novak said Monday, referring to the popular MTV prank show. “I mean, I've seen obituaries, but I've never seen them go viral.”

Florence “Flo” Harrelson in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of Christina Mills Novak

Novak, who lives in the Augusta area, had a complicated relationship with her mother, who died of heart failure in February.

Novak, 47, said she cut ties with Harrelson after a life-threatening incident involving her in 2009. Still, Novak occasionally received unwanted messages in her Facebook inbox, and when she noticed Harrelson was quiet on Aug. 23, Novak Googled her mother's name and found a cremation notice.

Novak said she wrote the obituary as a public service announcement for those who knew Harrelson. She never intended to write more than necessary and doesn't know what about the announcement piqued the interest of the many people who continue to share it on social media.

According to centralmaine.com's tracking system, the obituary had amassed over 22,000 page views by Monday afternoon and is the most-read article on the site so far this month.

However, not everyone sees Harrelson the same way.

Barbara Cote of Monmouth contacted the Kennebec Journal in response to the obituary. She said she knew Harrelson and admitted she had her vices, but Cote did not remember Harrelson as Novak described her.

Cote said she worked with Harrelson at KeyBank in Augusta before it closed in the early 2000s, and she did not keep in touch with Harrelson after she left the bank. She was surprised to see the obituary as it was published.

“I loved her. She would do anything for you,” Cote said. “She was a good friend to me. I wish I had stayed in touch with her.”

Not much is known about Harrelson's life, but she lived in the Augusta area, including Winslow and Chelsea, until 2023 before moving to an assisted living facility in the Bangor area.

Harrelson's brother, William Forrest Davenport, also known as “Wild Bill” from the popular television series “Maine Cabin Masters,” died last year.

Novak jokingly blames her friend Crystal Chick for the encouragement that led Novak to post the obituary on her Facebook and TikTok pages.

People from across the country have reached out to Novak in response to the news of her death. She said the response has been overwhelming – and has sparked some anxiety.

Because of the new attention, which included an exclusive interview with People magazine, Novak was hesitant to tell reporters much about her life.

An Augusta-area woman's obituary for her estranged mother, first published in the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, attracted widespread attention, including an exclusive interview with People magazine (see above). Screenshot from People.com

However, she said she had received Facebook messages from strangers who said they could empathize with her situation.

“I'm glad the people who don't understand don't understand because that means they've never been in my situation,” Novak said. “But apparently there are a lot of people in my situation. It's sad.”

Some read the article in the Daily Mail, others in the Reader's Digest, but almost all told Novak that there is a “Flo” in their lives, too.

Almost every time someone contacts her, Novak learns that the article has also appeared elsewhere.

“People come up to me and say, 'I have a Flo,' and tell me their stories or say they can relate to it, and that's pretty special,” Novak said. “It's sad. I mean, so many people can relate to it. It's sad.”

“But people tell me that I inspired them to speak up. To be honest, sometimes some people can't speak up until the person is gone.”