The pain that comes with losing someone close to you is immense. During times of sadness and pain, we try everything possible to alleviate emotions of despair.
Different cultures have distinct rituals for honoring the deceased, and no matter how strange some of them may seem, they are a means for people to cope with grief, and we must respect them.
However, this was not the case for the family of Mark Rosenthal, who passed away 13 years ago, leaving behind his wife and two children.
Losing Mark was an irreparable loss for his family, but feeling closer to him has helped lessen some of the anguish. Despite this, they received online abuse for how they honored a significant day on 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.
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The short clip, which was intended to be humorous, triggered concern 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.
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 negative comments 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.
