Family members remember 83-year-old man buried at annual service to the poor in Aiken County

GRANITEVILLE, SC (WJBF) – Eleven people were laid to rest on Thursday, September 16, during the annual funeral services for the poor at the Aiken County office in Graniteville.

“It’s always the person who was straight, not the hunter; tells you exactly what he feels and how it is, ”parent Dana Elum told NewsChannel 6’s Aiken bureau chief Shawn Cabbagestal of 83-year-old George Leverett.

Telling it as it is and always being there are some of the things Leverett’s family will remember the most. “I went in to see him. And he said, what’s wrong with your face? And I said, well, what do you mean? He said, your makeup is not right, you have to fix that, ”Elum recalls with a laugh.

“He told a lot of great stories about the past and the present. I’m grateful that I was able to be a part of his later years and to have been able to spend time with him because I think he could have done it for me, it would have been the same, ”explained parent Debra Freeman.

The 83-year-old man was one of 11 people buried at the annual funeral of the poor at Graniteville cemetery. The coroner’s office has been holding the ceremony since 1999. The number of burials varies from year to year. “Usually between eight and 10. Some years we see an increase some years we may not be working as much, but every year we know there will be cases that come up that will come to the coroner’s office for a review. poor man’s funeral, ”Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables shared.

Services are for those whose bodies have not been claimed or whose funds are not available for their funeral arrangements. We are told that the coroner’s office made an effort to contact their families and extended family members. “Unfortunately, this is the only time we were able to pay tribute to him at the end,” Elum added.

Although this season in George Leverett’s life is now over, his family say they will continue to be grateful for his time here. “We have spent a lot of years together and he has played a very important role in a lot of things in the development of my life throughout the year. So I am very grateful to him and always will be, ”said Elum.

The following people were buried:

Joe jefferson
Date of birth: 10/15/1942
Date of death: 07/26/2020

Robert hilton
Date of birth: 02/21/1948
Date of death: 05/08/2020

Wayne Michael Davis
Date of birth: 05/08/1955
Date of death: 09/01/2020

Robert hursey
Date of birth: 07/13/1958
Date of death: 10/30/2020

Barbara ann gillette
Date of birth: 07/27/1970
Date of death: 12/15/2020

Richard Willis Hartman
Date of birth: 19/09/1964
Date of death: 23/12/2020

Georges leverett
Date of birth: 04/12/1938
Date of death: 09/02/2021

Harold Runnels, Jr.
Date of birth: 01/19/1960
Date of death: 02/15/2021

Axel john muller
Date of birth: 08/09/1941
Date of death: 04/17/2021

Jonnie G. Alexander
Date of birth: 12/30/1947
Date of death: 06/24/2021

Charles Sheeley
Date of birth: 05/26/201984
Date of death: 05/31/2021