Widow of Rep. Young warns ex-Gov. Crist to keep clear of memorial service

The widow of the late Republican Florida Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young does not want one of the state's former governors attending his memorial service -- and sent a personal email to inform him his presence would be "unacceptable."

Beverly Young, whose husband died last week, sent an email to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to warn him not to attend the service, scheduled for Thursday.

The email said: "This e-mail is to officially advise you that your presence at my husband's memorial services will be unacceptable. I have watched over the years, as Bill had, your transparent attempts to manipulate the political arena. I don't want my husband's memorial service to be another opportunity for that and I will not tolerate anyone turning this into a platform for political gain. Please honor my family's request."

The email, later confirmed by Fox News, was earlier reported by The Tampa Bay Times.

Crist used to be a Republican but during his 2010 run for Senate repositioned himself as an independent. He lost to Republican Marco Rubio.

Last year, Crist formally became a Democrat.