GRANITEVILLE — Wanda Dansereau of North Augusta remembers her daughter, Cynthia Ann Sullivan, as a dedicated nurse who knew from the time she was a child the career path she wanted to follow.
Sullivan, 53, was one of six Aiken County residents who were laid to rest Friday morning at the Graniteville Cemetery at the pauper burial service coordinated by the Aiken County Coroner's Office.
"She was a great nurse," Dansereau said.
"When she was 12 years old, she said, 'I am a nurse.'"
Sullivan worked for the burn center in San Diego but she started her career as a candy striper.
"She had everything going for her," Dansereau said.
"She was just so happy. She accomplished a lot in her life. She had three children.
"I don't think there was one thing special about her - it was all special."
The other residents honored at the ceremony were:
- George Gibson, born May 11, 1940, and died Jan. 4, 2015
- Tony J. LaCarter, born April 9, 1947, and died May 22, 2014
- Robert Cowan, born April 22, 1948, and died March 31, 2015
- Barbara J. Acord, born April 5, 1949, and died March 30, 2014
- Henry Reese, born April 18, 1951, and died Jan. 12, 2015.
The Aiken County Coroner's Office holds the service each year in memory of people who have died in Aiken County without family or friends to claim their remains.
In some cases, family members may not have the financial resources to bury the deceased.
The staff of the coroner's office makes every effort to contact the families or extended families of the deceased.
"We do this for the community and for these folks and for their family and friends after we've searched diligently for their next of kin," said Tim Carlton, Aiken County coroner. "We're laying to rest these six men and women from our community, former residents, to bring closure to their lives.
"We think it's an important part of life to leave here on the right tone, the right note."
Beth O'Rear of Aiken brought a dozen long-stemmed, red roses to give to family members and friends as a remembrance of the service.
"The way you receive love is the way you give love," O'Rear said.
"I thought it would be nice to honor people who didn't have any family or friends in the area."
Colleen Lucas of Aiken, who attended the service with her daughters, Alexa, 4, and Abby, 13, has been coming for about six years.
"We strongly believe that everybody needs to have somebody at their funeral," Lucas said.
"I don't know these people, but I'm here to pray for them and their families."
"I think it's nice that people come to support them even though they don't know them," Abby said.
"We're here to help them get to heaven and to pray for them and honor them for all they did in their lives."
A native of Aiken, Larry Wood is a general assignment reporter.