Finding a specific name in the Hatcher Funeral Home obituaries shouldn't feel like a chore, but honestly, if you’ve ever tried to track down a service time on a slow-loading website while you're already stressed, you know it can be a headache. It's more than just a list of names. It is a digital archive of the Graniteville and Langley community.
Most people think you just go to a website and scroll.
That's part of it. But there’s a lot more under the hood—especially if you are looking for someone from a few years back or trying to figure out where the actual service is being held. Hatcher Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been sitting right there on Jefferson Davis Highway since 1988. Ed Hatcher started the place with a specific vision, and that family-run vibe translates into how they handle their records today.
Why Hatcher Funeral Home Obituaries are Different
When a local family loses someone, the obituary is often the first "public" thing that happens. It’s the official notice. In a small area like Graniteville or the broader Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), these posts are basically the community's town square.
You’ll see names like Earl B. Chapman Jr. or Hazel Weathersbee Dunbar pop up on the recent list. These aren't just entries; they are detailed lives. Hatcher's team, including folks like Treye Sharpe and Kenna Hale Conner, usually helps the families weave in those specific, "human" details—like whether someone was a "workaholic" crane operator or a passionate fisherman who spent every weekend at Clark Hill.
The Graniteville vs. Langley Confusion
One thing that trips people up? The address.
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Is it Langley? Is it Graniteville?
Technically, the physical building is at 3464 Jefferson Davis Hwy. While many people in the valley refer to it as the "Langley funeral home," the mailing address often shows up as Graniteville, SC 29829. If you’re searching for "Hatcher Funeral Home obituaries Langley SC," you’re looking for the same database as the Graniteville one. Don't let the GPS or the town names confuse you; it’s all the same central hub for the Horse Creek Valley area.
How to Actually Find Someone (The Right Way)
If you need to find a specific obituary right now, you have a couple of options. Most people just hit Google, but that can lead you to "obituary scraper" sites that are sometimes out of date or filled with weird ads.
- The Official Website: Go straight to the source. The Hatcher Funeral Home website has an "Obituaries" tab. It’s the most accurate because the staff updates it the second a service time changes.
- Legacy.com: They partner with Legacy, which is great if you want to sign a guestbook or get email alerts.
- Tribute Archive: This is another solid backup. You can often see historical records here if the main site is being updated.
Honestly, the "Share a Memory" feature on their site is actually used. It's not just a placeholder. Families really do go back and read those comments weeks after the funeral is over.
Finding Archived Records
What if the person passed away in 1995?
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That’s where it gets tricky. The digital era didn't really kick in for local funeral homes until the late 2000s. For anything older, you might not find a full "tribute page" with a photo gallery. You’ll likely need to contact the home directly at (803) 593-8778. They keep physical records, and since Ed Hatcher has been the owner since the beginning, the continuity of those records is better than at corporate-owned homes that change hands every five years.
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let's talk money for a second because that's usually why people are looking at these services in the first place. Funerals are expensive.
At Hatcher, a direct cremation is roughly $1,600. If you want a full traditional service with the body present, you’re looking closer to $4,800.
Why does this matter for obituaries?
Because the type of service determines what the obituary says. A "Celebration of Life" might mean everyone is wearing jeans (like for Ed Frye's service in 2025), while a traditional service at a church like Victory Baptist will have a different tone. When you read the obituary, look for those "attire" or "memorial" notes. If the family asks for donations to the Arthritis Foundation instead of flowers, that’s usually tucked right at the bottom of the text.
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What to Do If You See a Mistake
It happens. A middle name is misspelled, or a grandchild is left out.
If you're a family member and notice a typo in a Hatcher Funeral Home obituary, don't panic. You don't have to call a newspaper and pay a fee to fix it. Because they manage their own digital platform, the staff can usually log in and fix a typo in about five minutes. Just call the front desk.
Actionable Steps for Using the Obituary Database
If you are looking for information or planning to attend a service, here is the best way to handle it:
- Check the "Service" tab specifically: Sometimes the obituary is long, and the actual "where and when" is buried at the bottom. The "Service" tab on their site pulls that info out into a clean map.
- Sign up for alerts: If you live in the Valley and want to stay informed, the Legacy page for Hatcher lets you put in your email to get a notification whenever a new obituary is posted.
- Download the Tribute Video: Hatcher creates these 50–75 photo slideshows for families. If you were close to the deceased, those videos are often available to view right on the obituary page for a limited time.
- Look for the "LBC" connection: Many obituaries in this area mention LBC High School (Langley-Bath-Clearwater). If you're doing genealogy or looking for old friends, searching for "Hatcher Funeral Home" + "LBC" is a great way to find people from that specific era of the Valley.
The reality is that these obituaries are the primary historical record for Graniteville and Langley. Whether you're looking for a friend like Red Maddox or a long-time resident like Sylvia Glass Cornelison, the digital archive at Hatcher is usually the most reliable place to start.
If you are heading to the funeral home, remember it's that big brick building on the main highway. You can’t miss it. Just make sure you check the obituary one last time before you leave—service times in the South have a funny way of changing if a preacher gets caught in traffic or a family member’s flight is delayed.