GUYTON — Those who were laid to rest in Guyton/Ferguson Cemeteries in 2020 haven’t been forgotten.

The City of Guyton’s Historic Preservation Committee remembered them with its Memorial Luminary Service on Dec. 8.

“Once a year, we take this time to honor those who have moved on and remember them — and their families,” Mayor Russ Deen said at the start of the ceremony.

After an invocation by Pastor Joel Tucker of Guyton Christian Church, he and Deen led the audience in the singing of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Tucker played bass while Deen wielded a guitar.

Following the second song, Lucy Powell of the Historic Preservation Committee presented plaques and gifts to the families of Greg Helmuth and Leo Fred Griffin. Helmuth and Griffin were former Guyton aldermen who died in 2020.

“Words could never express how much we appreciate their efforts,” Powell said, “but we would like for you to know — because they are resting here — they are in our hearts and in our minds. May God bless you and thank you for allowing them to be a part of Guyton.”

Powell then asked audience members, each holding a lit white candle, if they had lost a loved one in the past year. Several indicated they had and identified themselves and their relative.

The service closed with the playing of “Silent Night.”