Dillon County Coroner Daniel G. Grimsley dies

Dillon County Coroner Daniel G. Grimsley died Monday evening at a Florence hospital after an extended illness.

Grimsley, who was in his 70s,  served as Dillon County Coroner for about 25 years.

He will be missed by everyone, Dillon County Council Chairman Harold Moody said.

“He was a pillar of our community. He’s just irreplaceable, I can’t say enough about him. He was always doing good for everybody,” Moody said.

Grimsley’s health had been declining for years, but he still managed to help others in any way he could, Moody said.

“They called him the Chicken Bog King,” Dillon County Sheriff Major Hulon said. “He did it to help kids or anybody in need.”

Grimsley made the chicken bog to help residents who were going through a hard time and needed assistance, Hulon said.  And it wasn’t an annual thing, he said. Grimsley would prepare the food as needed.

“He was a super good guy,” Hulon said. “He was loved and highly respected. He is going to be missed in a lot of ways.”

Dillon County residents were planning to host a “Dan Grimsley Appreciation Day” on Friday, Moody said.

Dillon County Council, the city of Dillon and other organizations all donated to the celebration, which also was to include a dinner held in Grimsley’s honor, he said.

“We were going to honor one of our good citizens; we were going to give one day back to him,” Moody said. “We weren’t sure he would be able to attend, but we were hoping.”

It is unclear if the celebration will still go on as scheduled.  Planners will leave the decision up to the Grimsley family, Moody said.

Grimsley is survived by his wife, Silvia Grimsley, two sons and two daughters.

One of Grimsley’s sons, who is a local EMS worker, had been helping with the duties associated with the Dillon County Coroner’s office during his father’s hospitalization.