‘He served his whole life’: Rock Hill, SC funeral director John Ramseur Sr. dies at 87
John William Ramseur Sr., who was a trailblazing leader in the mortuary business in South Carolina for decades and whose family owns Robinson Funeral Home in Rock Hill, has died.
Ramseur was 87.
Ramseur passed away Tuesday, his daughter Monique Ramseur said.
Robinson Funeral Home has been in York County for 112 years. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Black-owned businesses in Rock Hill. The business began as People’s Undertaking Company in 1911.
One of Ramseur’s five children, Monique Ramseur now runs the business.
Monique Ramseur said her father spent his life helping families and the community in the mortuary business. The business is far more than funerals -- it is service, assistance, and love in times of grief and loss.
“My father believed in being good to people and giving them all he could give,” Monique Ramseur said. “He served his whole life.”
First Black S.C funeral board services president
Ramseur, a Rock Hill native, handled thousands of funerals for families through his career, which spanned changes from segregated funeral homes to a more equal and open society.
A graduate of Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., and a U.S. military veteran, Ramseur was the first African-American president of the S.C. Board of Funeral Service, his daughter said. In his decades of service, Ramseur also served on Rock Hill’s parks and recreation board, the board of Rock Hill’s Clinton College, and helped others in business and commerce.
S.C. House of Representatives member John King, D-Rock Hill, who also is a mortician, said Ramseur’s service to the public was important to Rock Hill, and the entire state of South Carolina. John Ramseur was one of King’s mentor’s in business and public service, and was a proud businessman and role model for decades.
“My heart is heavy to hear of the passing of one of my colleagues and mentor, Mr. John Ramseur,” King said Tuesday from the S.C. Statehouse. “My condolences to his children, grandchildren and entire family. He was an amazing man with a love for the funeral industry. This is a great loss to our community and to funeral service. He will be truly missed by all.”
The funeral home Ramseur ran for decades until turning over the reigns to his daughter remains a pillar of York County’s business and social community from its Hampton Street location just south of downtown Rock Hill.
Funeral services and visitation for John Ramseur Sr. are pending.
Check back for updates on this story.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 5:41 PM with the headline "‘He served his whole life’: Rock Hill, SC funeral director John Ramseur Sr. dies at 87."
