When someone close passes away, the heartbreak is immense. During those times of grief and pain, we do everything to ease the feelings of despair.
Different cultures have different traditions of honoring the deceased, and no matter how odd we find some of them, that’s a way for people to cope with the loss and we need to respect them.
However, that wasn’t the case with the family of a man named Mark Rosenthal who passed away 13 years ago, leaving his wife and two children behind.
For Mark’s family, losing him was an irreparable tragedy, but feeling a closer connection to him has helped alleviate some of the pain of his absence. Despite this, they encountered online abuse for how they commemorated a special day of the calendar.
Becoming a single mom of two, Mark’s wife Robin Rosenthal raised her children Sam and Emma by herself in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and made sure she has kept his memory alive, and one way was to spend some time at his grave and share videos online.
In a specific video taken in June 2022, they shared a throwback of a Father’s Day lunch spent camping by the grass.
The short clip, which was intended to be humorous, triggered criticism from the online community.
It shows the family at the graveyard having sandwiches and Sam is heard saying, “Father’s Day lunch with Dad!” after which he asks his mom where his dad was.
“Down there, in the ground,” his mom replies.
As they continue having their lunch, Robin is seen tossing fries on her late husband’s grave, saying, “Here Mark, have a fry.”
Obviously, the family wanted to add a humorous touch to the video, but they faced the backlash of some of the viewers.
“Creepy that mom,” one person commented.
I’m speechless, it’s so disrespectful,” another claimed.
“Lack of respect,” said a third.
This year, the family posted yet another video of their visit to Mark’s grave that has been seen over 600,000 times on TikTok.
As the previous year, this video was again met with criticism and mixed emotions. While some said this was their unique way to keep Mark’s memory alive, others were critical of Robin and her children.
What do you think of this?