The Rev. Curtis McDaniel gives final prayers before 66 empty chairs Monday at the funeral service for William Galbraith Johns. While officials were able to eventually locate a nephew of Johns, many people die in the county each year with no known survivors.

Sixty-six chairs sat empty during William Galbraith Johns' funeral Monday morning.

Not one friend, relative or acquaintance attended.

Johns, an 86-year-old veteran injured in World War II, had no known survivors.

"This happens all the time," said Robin Young Christy, funeral director at Young's Funeral Home on West Jefferson Street. "It's sad."

In Johns' case, the story changed — hours after the service, officials located a nephew who had been searching for his lost relative for years.

But Christy said that is not always the case, and at least every couple months, someone dies in Butler County without any known survivors.

These people sometimes have moved recently to this county and left no clues to their histories. Or, they have lived here for decades without visitors.

In some cases, there are provisions for a funeral service. Johns, even before locating a relative, had enough money in an account to buy a beautiful gold casket, a short obituary and a gray suit and tie for burial.

A court-appointed guardian gave the go-ahead for such purchases.

There were no flowers at Johns' service, but he was presented an American flag.

And, because Johns was a veteran, he was to receive a military send off at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville.

For people who have no such monetary provisions, Butler County chips in $300. Those people, Christy said, are generally cremated even though the cost of cremation is $1,400.

Because of it's long-standing connection to the county coroner's office, the Young Funeral Home often handles arrangements for indigent people.

Christy said it's not unusual for mental health caseworkers or nursing home employees to attend services for people who have been in their care over the years.

But for other people, only funeral home personnel attend the final send off.

Christy said all attempts are made to find a loved one before anyone is buried. And always a photograph is taken to document the service on the off chance someone will come forward much later.

Officials, when searching for a relative, run the deceased person's name through a special computer program. That is how they found Johns' nephew.If that does not work, an advertisement is placed in a newspaper. Officials search public documents, and then they hope for the best.In Johns' case, there was very little information to work with.Officials knew only that he was born Nov. 14, 1923, Johns served in the United States Army during World War II. There, he suffered some type of injury, likely frostbite to his toes.He most recently lived in a care home in Cowansville in Armstrong County before dying of natural causes March 3 at Butler Memorial Hospital.His nephew plans to attend the grave site service, having missed the short service at the funeral home Monday officiated by the Rev. Curtis McDaniel.There is a pool of clergy who will oversee services for people who have no known survivors.But Rev. McDaniel of Center Township said he takes a special interest in World War II survivors because both his father and his father-in-law served in that war."They deserve an honorable funeral, burial and show of appreciation whether there are 100 people here or one ... or none," said McDaniel, who read Psalms 46, 23 and 121 as part of his tribute for Johns."This is someone who served our country admirably and courageously. We owe it to him whether he has survivors or not."

Robin Young Christy and Larry Barr of the Young Funeral Home place an American flag Monday on the casket of William Galbraith Johns, a World War II veteran. There were no flowers for Johns, but he was presented with the flag.