Fran Williams obituary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB)-- When Art Williams lost his mother, Fran, it hurt like few things do in life.

"(She was) a wonderful homemaker, a wonderful mother, an astute observer of the world," Williams said.

The 87-year-old battling COPD and coronary artery disease lost her fight. Like most people, Williams and his family wanted to plan a proper, smooth goodbye.

That's not exactly the way it went.

"I got a call from the cremation society that said, 'Mr. Williams, we have a problem with the obituary,'" he said.

The Courier Journal rejected it because of a line that read: "Her passing was hastened by her continued frustration with the Trump administration."

Fran Williams was clearly not a supporter of President Trump.

"She told my sister, 'If I end up passing away here in the future, I think it has something to do with the anxiety I'm feeling about where the country is,'" Williams recalled.

The Williams family agreed to ax the line so it wouldn't distract from the memorial service, but that didn't mean Williams was done.

"I was perturbed, and I felt like it was an issue that should be addressed," he said.

He gave the newspaper a piece of his mind on social media. Shortly after, CJ reporters and editors took notice and apologized to the family.

"Clearly, it was a bad decision," Courier Journal Editor Rick Green said. "You hate like hell for something like this to happen."

Green added the decision was made by staffer in Wisconsin.

"My dad was very pleased to get the apology, and he readily accepted it," Williams said.

The Courier Journal is now planning to run the original obituary at no charge.

The problem was corrected for the Williams family, even though Art wonders if his mother would've wanted it another way.

"Honestly, my mom probably would've preferred to have the money back," he said. "She was very frugal."

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