GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A memorial was held to honor unclaimed people buried at a Grand Rapids cemetery.
Dozens of people showed up to Oak Grove cemetery Saturday at noon to plant and lay flowers. It was part of an event put on by a nearby resident, Sarah Sun.
Sun says 364 unclaimed people are buried at the cemetery. These people are considered unclaimed because many of them were either unhoused, couldn't afford a proper burial or their family did not claim them or couldn't financially support their burial, she said.
Saturday, the community showed up to properly honor them and pay respects.
"Oh, I've been crying, you know, like most of the time, it's really, it's, it's tremendous," said Sun at the event.
Sun is also working to get a sign for the part of the cemetery where they're buried. It would include a QR code that people can scan to see the list of people buried there.
"Folks are not invisible. They're important. And so that's the kind of thing that you know this. This feels important to like, continue to remember people," said Sun.
She hopes this becomes a yearly event.