Wright Funeral Home

By × Raniya Wright was laid to rest after a celebration of her life at Saints Center Ministries in Walterboro. By Walterboro, SC When Raniya Wright was 5, a deacon at her church asked the young girl what positions she wanted to serve in. Did she want to be a praise dancer? Or sing in the choir? An usher, Raniya told the deacon, Helen Gantt. While other kids wanted the glory of the choir or the eyes that a praise dancer gets, Raniya wanted to hold the door for people, help members get seated and pass out brochures at Aimwell Presbyterian Church. “She was not afraid of work,” Gantt said. “She was willing to work for Christ.” Gantt told that story Wednesday during funeral services for 10-year-old Raniya, who died last week after being involved in a fight at a C...

The "celebration" to honor the life of Raniya was scheduled for noon at Saints Center Ministries in Walterboro, an obituary said.Students who wished to attend the funeral service were given an excused absence for the day, said Forest Hills Elementary School, where Raniya was involved in a fight with a classmate on March 25. She died March 27.The school said in a letter that was posted on the Colleton County School District's website that it would also hold a Remembrance Day for her on Friday."We invite staff and students to wear pink or purple, Raniya's favorite colors. At 9:45 a.m., we will have a schoolwide moment of silence. Later that afternoon, students will be given the opportunity to create poster cards for the family," the school said. "We will continue to provide counseling and support services to our students and staff for the next few weeks."Huge turnout here in Walterboro for the funeral of 10-year-old Raniya Wright. Service expected to start shortly @ABCNews4 #chsnews pic.twitter.com/xq5BsHGDBf— Caroline Balchunas (@carolinebTV) April 3, 2019(MORE: Parents angry over lack of answers from South Carolina school board after 5th-grader dies following classroom fight)On Monday, Raniya's father, Jermaine Van Dyke, and his lawyers held a news conference outside of Forest Hills Elementary."I'm here today looking for justice for my daughter," Van Dyke said. "I wanted just to find out what happened, how it happened and who was involved."His lawyer Mark Peper said they had spoken "at length" with the teacher who was in the classroom that day but would not disclose the details of that conversation.David Aylor, Van Dyke's lawyer, said Monday that the father had had "little to no contact" from anyone, including the school district, regarding Raniya's death.(Family Photo) RaNiya Wright, a fifth-grade student at Forest Hills Elementary School is pictured in this undated photo provided by her family. On March 25, a staff member at the elementary school called 911 to report that a student had collapsed, according to an incident report released by the Colleton Cou...