We all have our own ways of remembering those we’ve lost. Every family has its own special traditions to honor loved ones who have passed away, and it’s important that others respect these practices.
Unfortunately, not everyone shows this respect, as the family of the late Mark Rosenthal knows too well. Mark passed away 13 years ago, but his family still visits his gravesite regularly to celebrate his life.
Losing Mark was a tragedy that left a wound that will never fully heal. For his family, being close to his gravesite helps ease the pain of his absence. Despite this, they’ve faced online abuse for their unique way of honoring him.
I’m Robin Rosenthal, and I lost my husband Mark back in 2010. Since then, I’ve been raising our children, Sam and Emma, by myself in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Keeping Mark’s memory alive has always been crucial for us, and Sam and Emma feel the same way. That’s why we started posting online videos of our visits to Mark’s grave.
In June 2022, we shared a video of a Father’s Day lunch we had by his gravesite. We filmed a lighthearted clip where Emma and I were eating sandwiches. “Father’s Day lunch with Dad!” Sam says in the video, before asking me where Mark is.
“Down there, in the ground,” I replied with a smile.
As we ate, I tossed a fry towards Mark’s grave, jokingly offering him some of our food.
While we were simply celebrating Mark’s life in our own way, not everyone online appreciated it.
“Creepy that mom,” one person commented.
“I’m speechless, it’s so disrespectful,” another claimed.
“Lack of respect,” said a third.
A fourth added: “This is weird and they have sauce or whatever all over their mouths and the dancing while sitting is so very uncomfortable to watch.”
Despite the mixed reactions, we posted another Father’s Day celebration video this year for our 600,000 TikTok followers to see.
Just like last year, the reactions were split. Some people believed we have the right to remember Mark in our own way, while others were critical of the content we shared.
If you found this story intriguing, you might want to check out the recent tough time actress Sandra Bullock faced after losing her partner.