Everyone Has a Right to Rest in Peace: A Pauper Burial

Thursday morning, the day after all the unrest in Washington, D.C., the Record called County Judge Joe Weber to get his thoughts on the national situation (read the story on that above). At the time, Weber was overseeing the burial of a local man in the Pauper’s Cemetery in La Grange.

Every once in a while, someone dies without family or the means for funeral arrangements. In such cases, the County steps in to make sure that person is buried in a respectful manner.

“We’ve had (pauper burials) before, but this was the first time I went out there,” Weber said.

“It’s sad when there’s no family or anyone there, but we had a little ceremony,” he added. “I said a little prayer.”

The man buried last Thursday died three days before Christmas. He had been living at Colonial Care Center in Schulenburg for a number of years. His only surviving kin were some distant relatives who were unable to provide for his burial.

On hand for the burial were John Belvill and Joseph Carroll of Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home, Judge Weber, Pct. 2 Commissioner Luke Sternadel and Pct. 2 Road and Bridge employee Britt Harper.

The Pauper’s Cemetery lies along Reynolds Street in La Grange near the old Fayette County Poor Farm.

“It’s a nice place, you oughta walk in there and look at some of those graves,” said Weber. “I took a picture of one. Jesse Ray Johnson, Private, United States Marine Corps, 1919 to 1990.”

The cemetery is located just inside Pct. 2. Accordingly, the Pct. 2 Commissioner traditionally assists with the burial. Sternadel and Harper located an appropriate grave site and dug the hole.

“I’m glad we have this place,” Sternadel said of the Pauper’s Cemetery. “It’s great that the County stepped up and took care of this. I don’t know if other counties would do this.”

The County contracted with Koenig-Belvill to provide a basic casket and to prepare the remains. After Weber led the ceremony, everyone helped in lowering the casket into the grave.

“When Britt was digging the hole, I asked him, ‘Why are you doing that?’” Weber recalled. “Britt said, ‘If I was in that man’s situation, I would hope someone would do the same for me.’”

Weber said the County could cremate the remains of indigent residents who die without arrangements, but he has decided against the practice.

“I don’t want to do cremations because you never know, what if (a relative) comes up three or four years from now, and you don’t know what their wishes were?” Weber said.

Pauper burials don’t happen very often, though. Weber said he knew of two or three in Fayette County since he took office in 2019.

“I just think everyone who lives on this earth and passes away, if they don’t have any family, we’ll do what we can to give them the respect and dignity they deserve,” Weber said. “We’re not heroes or anything, it’s just that we’ve got to do these things.”