Galveston man's obituary: 'His life served no obvious purpose'
GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- Ouch! The family of a 75-year-old Galveston man took off the gloves and delivered a brutal, yet honest obituary.
Leslie Ray Charping died last month after a battle with cancer.
"At a young age, Leslie quickly became a model example of bad parenting combined with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive," the obituary stated.
The family went on to describe Charping as a person who lacked ambition and motivation.
"With Leslie's passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend," the family said.
And no, the family did not hold a funeral service.
"Leslie's passing proves that evil does in fact die and hopefully marks a time of healing and safety for all," the obituary read.
The woman who wrote the statement, who asked not to be identified, released the following statement to Eyewitness News:
"I wrote my father's obituary. I loved my father because he was my father and his passing would not have been any less difficult had he been a good father. As someone that 'hated a liar', I believe even he would have appreciated the honesty. I apologize to anyone that my father hurt and I felt it would have been offensive to portray him as anything other than who he was. This obituary was intended to help bring closure because not talking about domestic violence doesn't make it go away!
"Thank you to those that have offered sincere condolences, understanding and prayers for our family, your words bring comfort. I am happy for those that simply do not understand, this means you had good parent(s) -- please treasure what you have.
"Although I appreciate everyone's concern, it would have been much more appreciated at any time during my childhood. For those being cruel, please remember that you now resemble my father and I would be more than happy to pen your obituary as well."
To read the full obituary from Carnes Funeral Home, click here.
