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

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

This death announcement for Florence “Flo” Harrelson appeared in the Aug. 30 editions of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel.

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

The next night, when the obituary made its way to centralmaine.com, Novak typed ‘”Flo Harrelson” into Facebook and saw the site said the topic was “Popular Now.” Already by the next morning, Novak’s words had made their way to People magazine, the New York Post and the Daily Mail, a tabloid newspaper published in London.

Florence “Flo” Harrelson is pictured in this undated photo. Photo courtesy of Christine Mills Novak

“I’m quite confused. I feel like I’m getting ‘Punk’d,'” Novak said Monday, referring to the popular prank MTV television show. “I mean, I’ve seen obituaries, but I’ve never seen them go viral.”

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 severed ties with Harrelson after a life-threatening incident with her in 2009. Still, Novak would receive the occasional unwelcome message in her Facebook inbox, and when she noticed about Aug. 23 that things were quiet on Harrelson’s end, Novak Googled her mother’s name and found a cremation notice.

Novak said she wrote the death notice as a public service announcement to those who knew Harrelson. She never intended to write more than needed, and does not know what in the notice has captured the interest of the many people who continue to share it on social media.

The death announcement had amassed more than 22,000 pageviews as of Monday afternoon, according to centralmaine.com’s metric system, and so far this month is the most-read item on the website.

Not everyone sees Harrelson the same way, however.

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

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

Christine Mills Novak Photo courtesy of Christina Mills Novak

“I loved her. She would do anything for you,” Cote said. “She was a good friend to me. I wish I 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, otherwise known as “Wild Bill” from the popular television show “Maine Cabin Masters,” died last year.

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

People from across the country have reached out to Novak in response to the death announcement. She said the response has been overwhelming — and provoked some anxiety.

The newfound attention, which included an exclusive interview with People magazine, has made Novak hesitant about sharing much about her life with reporters.

The death announcement written by an Augusta-area woman for her estranged mother, which was first published in the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel, has garnered attention far and wide, including an exclusive interview with People magazine, above. Screenshot of People.com

But, she said, she has received Facebook messages from strangers who said they can relate to her situation.

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

Some saw the article in the Daily Mail, others in Reader’s Digest, but almost all of them have told Novak they, too, have a “Flo” in their lives.

Nearly every time someone reaches out, Novak said, she learns of another place the article has reached.

“People are coming to me and telling me, ‘I have a Flo,’ and sharing their stories or that they can relate, and it’s quite something,” Novak said. “It’s sad. I mean, so many people can relate. That is sad.

“But people are telling me that I inspired them to speak up. Honestly, sometimes the only way some people can speak up is when that person is gone.”