A daughter decided to make a final attempt against her “violent, hateful and cruel” mother as she condemned her in a scathing obituary.
In a fiery “tribute” following the Dec. 12 death of Linda Lernel Stull in Michigan, her daughter Gayle Harvey Heckman wrote in her hometown newspaper that she subjected her to years of physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse.
“Lernell allowed her many inappropriate admirers to sexually abuse Gayle,” read one section of the shocking obituary. It concluded that her family “all understands that the world is a much better place without her.”
After the obituary sparked widespread reaction online, the Willcox Newspaper, which published the article, removed it from its website and apologized, claiming it was “submitted through our website and published without us looking closely.” .
Heckman criticized the decision not to publish the obituary and criticized the newspaper's stance on “protecting and shielding child molesters,” according to a purported response passed on to X.
Linda Lernel Stull (pictured) was condemned as a “violent, hateful and cruel” mother in her daughter's obituary
The scathing “tribute” was written by her daughter Gayle Harvey Heckman because she wanted to “clear my name,” she said
Heckman was tight-lipped as she summarized her mother's life, telling the Sturgis Journal that she decided to write the wild eulogy “to clear my name.”
“For 24 years and before, my mother had to find a reason for her daughter not to be in her life that didn't make her look like a monster… I had to reclaim my name,” she said.
Heckman opened the obituary – which used the alternative spellings “Lernel”, “Lernell” and “Lernal” – by noting that her mother was “welcomed into the world by loving parents” on October 1, 1951 and subsequently a She gave birth to her first child, Gayle, in 1969.
“Lernel deceived her first husband, Roderick Alan Harvey, into believing he was the biological father of her first child,” the citation reads.
“They married and divorced when Gayle was three years old. Lernel then had Gayle adopted by her second husband, Frank Randall Cullum. They divorced after a decade of marriage – Gayle never heard from Frank again.'
Heckman then dropped the bombshell that “Lernal’s third husband, James Floyd Hart, sexually abused Gayle when she was 13 years old. Instead of protecting her daughter, Lernal accused Gayle of “trying to steal her husband” and beat her senseless.”
“After another divorce, Lernel acquired her fourth husband through the Jackson State Prison State Prison (unofficial or illegible) word-of-mouth pen pal program,” it continues.
“Between and during their marriages, there were a number of shady men in and outside our home.
“As a mother, Lernal was violent, hateful and cruel. She physically, mentally, emotionally, verbally and financially abused Gayle.
“Lernell allowed her many inappropriate admirers to sexually abuse Gayle. Lernel's abuse continued into Gayles' adulthood, attempting to physically, verbally, emotionally and mentally abuse her in front of her children.
“Gayle had to put a no contact order in place to protect herself and her family. That was 24 years ago.”
She said she unexpectedly found out who her biological father was in March 2023 “through a popular online DNA service.”
“After years of being deceived by Lernel about who Gayle’s father was, Gayle and her family are now navigating the process of getting to know her paternal biological family.
'That's it. Lernal will never be the mother and grandmother she could have been to her family. With her death, this door is closed forever. That's why Gayle and her family mourn who her mother and grandmother might have been.
“While they fear that Gayle, her husband and their four children cannot share their grief, their grief lies with Lernal's brothers and sisters, her aunts, uncles and cousins, as they mourn the death of a complicated family member who…” them love very much.
“Lernal passed away on December 12, 2023 in Three Rivers, MI and will now face trial.”
“Gayle and her family forgive Lernal and hope she has found peace.” They also hope to find peace within themselves.
“Gayle and her family will not miss Lernal.” “They all understand that the world is a much better place without her.”
When the sensational obituary was published, it sparked a huge online reaction, prompting the publisher to admit that they had not actually read it before allowing the article to be printed.
“It was submitted through our website and published without careful consideration on our part,” said Mike Wilcox, publisher of the Wilcox Newspaper.
“We removed it from the website after receiving complaints about its content. After we removed it, we received several complaints (mainly from the daughter) and calls admonishing us for it.”
In a supposed response from Heckman to the obituary's unpublication, she sharply criticized the newspaper's decision and branded her a “champion of child abuse.”
In an alleged response from Heckman to X, she criticized the decision to stop publishing the article.
“As most survivors know, we expect to be attacked by child abuse advocates for not following the rules,” she reportedly said.
“Especially when there is deep generational trauma. My name has been defamed my entire life by my abuser.
“Especially when she had to explain why her daughter wasn’t in her life. The obituary was, in part, to reclaim my name.
“To set the record straight once and for all.” I am Lernal’s daughter. I am their “family”. My truth, like the obituary, is not false.
“Wilcox Paper has made its position clear. They protect and protect child abusers. Even in death. “For me, people who protect monsters are no different from those who abuse them.”