GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Sixteen people who died in Aiken County with no family able or willing to pay for a funeral will be laid to rest together on Thursday morning, Oct. 22, at Graniteville Cemetery, and the public is welcome to attend.
The yearly pauper burial is run by the Aiken County Coroner’s Office. The graveside ceremony starts at 10 a.m. The 16 being remembered died between July 2025 and May 2026, and the oldest was 82.
Chief deputy coroner Eric Ramey said the county usually handles 15 to 20 such burials a year but caps the October service because of the planning it takes. Seven people are already set for next year’s ceremony. His office tries to reach relatives and mails them invitations.
Donations make the day possible. Jackson Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation gave 16 urns, Caskets and More Inc. made the headstones and the sheriff’s office Pipes and Drums will play. The Well Church’s Rev. Keith Glover will officiate.
Last year’s ceremony, held Oct. 23 at the same cemetery, honored 17 people. Their cremated remains were buried side by side in two rows, and coroner Darryl Ables said his staff passes no judgment on why someone goes unclaimed.
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