Reality Star Mourns Estranged Father's Passing, Finds Closure

Last week, Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP) star Ashley Darby was informed by her mother that her father had passed away. Darby, who was raised solely by her mother, had tried to make contact with her father during a previous season of the show, but he had refused to meet her.

On the day of her father's funeral, Darby contemplated attending to find a sense of closure, but ultimately decided against it. "Why would I want to take time away from my own kids for someone who never made time for me?" she explained. Darby shared that she had learned about her father's other children and hobbies, such as gardening and playing guitar, through his obituary - things she never knew about him.

Darby expressed the unique grief she felt over the loss of a parent she had no emotional connection with. "It's interesting how you can mourn and have some sort of grieving -- a unique form of grieving -- for someone you have no relationship with, right? Just blood relations, but no emotional connection," she said.

Despite the complicated nature of their relationship, Darby had hoped her father might reach out before his death. She had learned that he had been placed in hospice care for cancer. Ultimately, Darby said she is learning to "close the door" on the relationship that never was.