Thank you to all of you who continue to leave flowers for my brother.
~~~~MY BROTHER~~~~
Edward Jens Matthews, 17, died Friday in the Idaho State School and Hospital in Nampa, following a lengthy illness.
He was born Oct. 17, 1965, at Montpelier, to John R. and Margo Lynn Matthews .
He was a member of the LDS Church. When he was about five years old, he contracted a very rare disease which caused him to lose his sight and gradually all of his faculties. He had to go to the State Hospital in July 1981, where he remained until his death.
Survivors include his parents, one sister, Tracy, grandparents,A. J. "Cub" Bentsen and Pauline Bentsen , Julia Nye , all of Montpelier; one great-grandmother, Ann Barkdull , Georgetown. Serveral uncles, aunts and cousins.He was Proceceded in death by his grandparents, Nile Matthews , Dorothy Matthews and Edward Grenville "Pete" Shepherd .
Funeral services were held Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Montpelier Fourth Ward Chapel. Burial was in the Montpelier City Cemetery.
Jens is also survived by his biological father and step mother, Edward L. and Leila (Arnell) Shepherd, one step brother, Steven Bunn, 3 half brothers, Dusty, Marty and Chris Shepherd.
After Jens had passed away one more half brother joined the family, Jesse Shepherd.
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Jens was born, he was a prefect and very happy boy who was normal in all ways. When He was about 5-6 years of age, he started to lose his sight. He lost it so fast that I hardly remember the glasses that he had to wear. Right after that he started to have grand-mal seizures. My parents took him to a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital around this time. The specialist told my parents that they had seen rare cases of what he was going through. The specialist said although there was no name for it because it was so rare that no one had studied about it to much. He said that in all cases that they had seen that Jens would grow up normal but his brain would stay somewhat in a child's mind. He probably would slowly lose all his normal body functions and most cases he had seen the child had died anywhere between 10-14 years of age. This did happen with Jens but he did live until a month before his 17th Birthday. I remember how he had to be dressed and bathed. We also had to watch him close because of the seizures. The more he went down hill his seizures increased every year. He had his dog who watched over him (although the dog was not trained he sensed this and stuck right by Jens's side most of the time. About the last 1-2 years of Jens's life he would have several seizures a day. It got so hard on my parents at last that we had to put him in the state hospital. It was about 200 of more miles away from our home so we would go and get him as often as we could and on Holidays to come home and visit for a week a so. I recall how bad my mom felt about this and never really got over it. It brings me peace to no that she has now joined him again. (Even though I miss them I no they are both in a better place). Jens passed away a month and 7 day before his birthday. On the first birthday of his without him, myself and my parents had gone somewhere, when we came home that night Jens's best companion, his dog was dead. (This is the Collie dog the is in with his pictures that is in the painting of Jens). As I look back there are so many things that I wish I would have been old enough to understand more of what was going on. But I will say after having someone that close to you having special needs it did make my a better person and more understanding with people and not to tease them over things they could not help. We all have some kind of special need if you actually think about it, I guess its just the way you may look at it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD
A meeting was held quite far from earth.
"It's time again for another birth,"
Said the Angels to the Lord above.
"This special child will need much love.
His progress may seem very slow,
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run or laugh or play
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent
We want his life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for this gift from Heaven,
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is Heaven's very special child!"
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
EVERY MORNING
I find the strength to make it another day
without you another day. I think of you often and remember
all the silly things we used to do and the
fun we had. Now those days are gone and all I
can do is cling to the memories of a time long
since past. I cherish those times and hold them
close to my heart. Our love knows no boundaries
as my love for you continues to grow more and more.
I miss you!
Yours Truly,
Love Your Sister
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE RECORDINGS OF A CEMETERY
BY THELMA GREENE REGAN
Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin;
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds-
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about the unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young, father, mother-
or someone who was older.
No indication could by found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a busy day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence.
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE BEST
God saw you were getting tired.
And a cure was not to be.
So He put his arms around you
And whispered, "Come with me".
With tearful eyes we watched you suffer.
And saw you fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes "The Best".
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
LETTING GO
You're still here in my heart and mind,
still making me laugh cause your stories live on.
I hold you in a thought and I can feel you.
I feel you and this gives me strength and courage.
The tears I have cried for you could flood the earth
and I know you have wiped each one away.
For you Brother, I promise you this,
I will go on with my life and make you proud. I will always hold you in my heart.
I promise you I will be missing you everyday till the end of time,
but this is not my end and I can't hold my head underwater....I need to breathe.
I need to love and miss you, but I also need to live because through me you will live,
you will still laugh and love,
you will still sing and dance,
you will still hug and kiss.
You will forever be in our lives,
you will forever be a brother,
a son,
a nephew
a cousin
and friend.
I am going to miss your shining face
I think of you and wonder why?
I might cry or smile,
but at the end of the day I am one day closer to you....
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Uncles:
Roger Dee Toomer
Roger Caldwell Mouritsen
Brandon Dennis Wilcox
Raymond George Shepherd
Cousins:
Richadrd Wayne Keys
Jonathan Lee Matthews
Lillianna Livia Jo Matthews
Maxwell C. Matthews
Michael James
Charles Tyson Sims
Mark Gregory Hebdon
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO THE ANONYMOUS PERSON WHO HAS SPONSORED MY BROTHER'S MEMORIAL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR KINDESS IS APPRECIATED MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
~~~~MY BROTHER~~~~
Edward Jens Matthews, 17, died Friday in the Idaho State School and Hospital in Nampa, following a lengthy illness.
He was born Oct. 17, 1965, at Montpelier, to John R. and Margo Lynn Matthews .
He was a member of the LDS Church. When he was about five years old, he contracted a very rare disease which caused him to lose his sight and gradually all of his faculties. He had to go to the State Hospital in July 1981, where he remained until his death.
Survivors include his parents, one sister, Tracy, grandparents,A. J. "Cub" Bentsen and Pauline Bentsen , Julia Nye , all of Montpelier; one great-grandmother, Ann Barkdull , Georgetown. Serveral uncles, aunts and cousins.He was Proceceded in death by his grandparents, Nile Matthews , Dorothy Matthews and Edward Grenville "Pete" Shepherd .
Funeral services were held Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Montpelier Fourth Ward Chapel. Burial was in the Montpelier City Cemetery.
Jens is also survived by his biological father and step mother, Edward L. and Leila (Arnell) Shepherd, one step brother, Steven Bunn, 3 half brothers, Dusty, Marty and Chris Shepherd.
After Jens had passed away one more half brother joined the family, Jesse Shepherd.
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Jens was born, he was a prefect and very happy boy who was normal in all ways. When He was about 5-6 years of age, he started to lose his sight. He lost it so fast that I hardly remember the glasses that he had to wear. Right after that he started to have grand-mal seizures. My parents took him to a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital around this time. The specialist told my parents that they had seen rare cases of what he was going through. The specialist said although there was no name for it because it was so rare that no one had studied about it to much. He said that in all cases that they had seen that Jens would grow up normal but his brain would stay somewhat in a child's mind. He probably would slowly lose all his normal body functions and most cases he had seen the child had died anywhere between 10-14 years of age. This did happen with Jens but he did live until a month before his 17th Birthday. I remember how he had to be dressed and bathed. We also had to watch him close because of the seizures. The more he went down hill his seizures increased every year. He had his dog who watched over him (although the dog was not trained he sensed this and stuck right by Jens's side most of the time. About the last 1-2 years of Jens's life he would have several seizures a day. It got so hard on my parents at last that we had to put him in the state hospital. It was about 200 of more miles away from our home so we would go and get him as often as we could and on Holidays to come home and visit for a week a so. I recall how bad my mom felt about this and never really got over it. It brings me peace to no that she has now joined him again. (Even though I miss them I no they are both in a better place). Jens passed away a month and 7 day before his birthday. On the first birthday of his without him, myself and my parents had gone somewhere, when we came home that night Jens's best companion, his dog was dead. (This is the Collie dog the is in with his pictures that is in the painting of Jens). As I look back there are so many things that I wish I would have been old enough to understand more of what was going on. But I will say after having someone that close to you having special needs it did make my a better person and more understanding with people and not to tease them over things they could not help. We all have some kind of special need if you actually think about it, I guess its just the way you may look at it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD
A meeting was held quite far from earth.
"It's time again for another birth,"
Said the Angels to the Lord above.
"This special child will need much love.
His progress may seem very slow,
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run or laugh or play
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent
We want his life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for this gift from Heaven,
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is Heaven's very special child!"
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
EVERY MORNING
I find the strength to make it another day
without you another day. I think of you often and remember
all the silly things we used to do and the
fun we had. Now those days are gone and all I
can do is cling to the memories of a time long
since past. I cherish those times and hold them
close to my heart. Our love knows no boundaries
as my love for you continues to grow more and more.
I miss you!
Yours Truly,
Love Your Sister
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE RECORDINGS OF A CEMETERY
BY THELMA GREENE REGAN
Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin;
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds-
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about the unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young, father, mother-
or someone who was older.
No indication could by found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a busy day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence.
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE BEST
God saw you were getting tired.
And a cure was not to be.
So He put his arms around you
And whispered, "Come with me".
With tearful eyes we watched you suffer.
And saw you fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes "The Best".
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
LETTING GO
You're still here in my heart and mind,
still making me laugh cause your stories live on.
I hold you in a thought and I can feel you.
I feel you and this gives me strength and courage.
The tears I have cried for you could flood the earth
and I know you have wiped each one away.
For you Brother, I promise you this,
I will go on with my life and make you proud. I will always hold you in my heart.
I promise you I will be missing you everyday till the end of time,
but this is not my end and I can't hold my head underwater....I need to breathe.
I need to love and miss you, but I also need to live because through me you will live,
you will still laugh and love,
you will still sing and dance,
you will still hug and kiss.
You will forever be in our lives,
you will forever be a brother,
a son,
a nephew
a cousin
and friend.
I am going to miss your shining face
I think of you and wonder why?
I might cry or smile,
but at the end of the day I am one day closer to you....
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Uncles:
Roger Dee Toomer
Roger Caldwell Mouritsen
Brandon Dennis Wilcox
Raymond George Shepherd
Cousins:
Richadrd Wayne Keys
Jonathan Lee Matthews
Lillianna Livia Jo Matthews
Maxwell C. Matthews
Michael James
Charles Tyson Sims
Mark Gregory Hebdon
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO THE ANONYMOUS PERSON WHO HAS SPONSORED MY BROTHER'S MEMORIAL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR KINDESS IS APPRECIATED MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
Thank you to all of you who continue to leave flowers for my brother.
~~~~MY BROTHER~~~~
Edward Jens Matthews, 17, died Friday in the Idaho State School and Hospital in Nampa, following a lengthy illness.
He was born Oct. 17, 1965, at Montpelier, to John R. and Margo Lynn Matthews .
He was a member of the LDS Church. When he was about five years old, he contracted a very rare disease which caused him to lose his sight and gradually all of his faculties. He had to go to the State Hospital in July 1981, where he remained until his death.
Survivors include his parents, one sister, Tracy, grandparents,A. J. "Cub" Bentsen and Pauline Bentsen , Julia Nye , all of Montpelier; one great-grandmother, Ann Barkdull , Georgetown. Serveral uncles, aunts and cousins.He was Proceceded in death by his grandparents, Nile Matthews , Dorothy Matthews and Edward Grenville "Pete" Shepherd .
Funeral services were held Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Montpelier Fourth Ward Chapel. Burial was in the Montpelier City Cemetery.
Jens is also survived by his biological father and step mother, Edward L. and Leila (Arnell) Shepherd, one step brother, Steven Bunn, 3 half brothers, Dusty, Marty and Chris Shepherd.
After Jens had passed away one more half brother joined the family, Jesse Shepherd.
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Jens was born, he was a prefect and very happy boy who was normal in all ways. When He was about 5-6 years of age, he started to lose his sight. He lost it so fast that I hardly remember the glasses that he had to wear. Right after that he started to have grand-mal seizures. My parents took him to a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital around this time. The specialist told my parents that they had seen rare cases of what he was going through. The specialist said although there was no name for it because it was so rare that no one had studied about it to much. He said that in all cases that they had seen that Jens would grow up normal but his brain would stay somewhat in a child's mind. He probably would slowly lose all his normal body functions and most cases he had seen the child had died anywhere between 10-14 years of age. This did happen with Jens but he did live until a month before his 17th Birthday. I remember how he had to be dressed and bathed. We also had to watch him close because of the seizures. The more he went down hill his seizures increased every year. He had his dog who watched over him (although the dog was not trained he sensed this and stuck right by Jens's side most of the time. About the last 1-2 years of Jens's life he would have several seizures a day. It got so hard on my parents at last that we had to put him in the state hospital. It was about 200 of more miles away from our home so we would go and get him as often as we could and on Holidays to come home and visit for a week a so. I recall how bad my mom felt about this and never really got over it. It brings me peace to no that she has now joined him again. (Even though I miss them I no they are both in a better place). Jens passed away a month and 7 day before his birthday. On the first birthday of his without him, myself and my parents had gone somewhere, when we came home that night Jens's best companion, his dog was dead. (This is the Collie dog the is in with his pictures that is in the painting of Jens). As I look back there are so many things that I wish I would have been old enough to understand more of what was going on. But I will say after having someone that close to you having special needs it did make my a better person and more understanding with people and not to tease them over things they could not help. We all have some kind of special need if you actually think about it, I guess its just the way you may look at it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD
A meeting was held quite far from earth.
"It's time again for another birth,"
Said the Angels to the Lord above.
"This special child will need much love.
His progress may seem very slow,
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run or laugh or play
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent
We want his life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for this gift from Heaven,
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is Heaven's very special child!"
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
EVERY MORNING
I find the strength to make it another day
without you another day. I think of you often and remember
all the silly things we used to do and the
fun we had. Now those days are gone and all I
can do is cling to the memories of a time long
since past. I cherish those times and hold them
close to my heart. Our love knows no boundaries
as my love for you continues to grow more and more.
I miss you!
Yours Truly,
Love Your Sister
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE RECORDINGS OF A CEMETERY
BY THELMA GREENE REGAN
Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin;
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds-
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about the unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young, father, mother-
or someone who was older.
No indication could by found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a busy day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence.
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE BEST
God saw you were getting tired.
And a cure was not to be.
So He put his arms around you
And whispered, "Come with me".
With tearful eyes we watched you suffer.
And saw you fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes "The Best".
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
LETTING GO
You're still here in my heart and mind,
still making me laugh cause your stories live on.
I hold you in a thought and I can feel you.
I feel you and this gives me strength and courage.
The tears I have cried for you could flood the earth
and I know you have wiped each one away.
For you Brother, I promise you this,
I will go on with my life and make you proud. I will always hold you in my heart.
I promise you I will be missing you everyday till the end of time,
but this is not my end and I can't hold my head underwater....I need to breathe.
I need to love and miss you, but I also need to live because through me you will live,
you will still laugh and love,
you will still sing and dance,
you will still hug and kiss.
You will forever be in our lives,
you will forever be a brother,
a son,
a nephew
a cousin
and friend.
I am going to miss your shining face
I think of you and wonder why?
I might cry or smile,
but at the end of the day I am one day closer to you....
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Uncles:
Roger Dee Toomer
Roger Caldwell Mouritsen
Brandon Dennis Wilcox
Raymond George Shepherd
Cousins:
Richadrd Wayne Keys
Jonathan Lee Matthews
Lillianna Livia Jo Matthews
Maxwell C. Matthews
Michael James
Charles Tyson Sims
Mark Gregory Hebdon
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO THE ANONYMOUS PERSON WHO HAS SPONSORED MY BROTHER'S MEMORIAL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR KINDESS IS APPRECIATED MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
~~~~MY BROTHER~~~~
Edward Jens Matthews, 17, died Friday in the Idaho State School and Hospital in Nampa, following a lengthy illness.
He was born Oct. 17, 1965, at Montpelier, to John R. and Margo Lynn Matthews .
He was a member of the LDS Church. When he was about five years old, he contracted a very rare disease which caused him to lose his sight and gradually all of his faculties. He had to go to the State Hospital in July 1981, where he remained until his death.
Survivors include his parents, one sister, Tracy, grandparents,A. J. "Cub" Bentsen and Pauline Bentsen , Julia Nye , all of Montpelier; one great-grandmother, Ann Barkdull , Georgetown. Serveral uncles, aunts and cousins.He was Proceceded in death by his grandparents, Nile Matthews , Dorothy Matthews and Edward Grenville "Pete" Shepherd .
Funeral services were held Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Montpelier Fourth Ward Chapel. Burial was in the Montpelier City Cemetery.
Jens is also survived by his biological father and step mother, Edward L. and Leila (Arnell) Shepherd, one step brother, Steven Bunn, 3 half brothers, Dusty, Marty and Chris Shepherd.
After Jens had passed away one more half brother joined the family, Jesse Shepherd.
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Jens was born, he was a prefect and very happy boy who was normal in all ways. When He was about 5-6 years of age, he started to lose his sight. He lost it so fast that I hardly remember the glasses that he had to wear. Right after that he started to have grand-mal seizures. My parents took him to a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital around this time. The specialist told my parents that they had seen rare cases of what he was going through. The specialist said although there was no name for it because it was so rare that no one had studied about it to much. He said that in all cases that they had seen that Jens would grow up normal but his brain would stay somewhat in a child's mind. He probably would slowly lose all his normal body functions and most cases he had seen the child had died anywhere between 10-14 years of age. This did happen with Jens but he did live until a month before his 17th Birthday. I remember how he had to be dressed and bathed. We also had to watch him close because of the seizures. The more he went down hill his seizures increased every year. He had his dog who watched over him (although the dog was not trained he sensed this and stuck right by Jens's side most of the time. About the last 1-2 years of Jens's life he would have several seizures a day. It got so hard on my parents at last that we had to put him in the state hospital. It was about 200 of more miles away from our home so we would go and get him as often as we could and on Holidays to come home and visit for a week a so. I recall how bad my mom felt about this and never really got over it. It brings me peace to no that she has now joined him again. (Even though I miss them I no they are both in a better place). Jens passed away a month and 7 day before his birthday. On the first birthday of his without him, myself and my parents had gone somewhere, when we came home that night Jens's best companion, his dog was dead. (This is the Collie dog the is in with his pictures that is in the painting of Jens). As I look back there are so many things that I wish I would have been old enough to understand more of what was going on. But I will say after having someone that close to you having special needs it did make my a better person and more understanding with people and not to tease them over things they could not help. We all have some kind of special need if you actually think about it, I guess its just the way you may look at it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD
A meeting was held quite far from earth.
"It's time again for another birth,"
Said the Angels to the Lord above.
"This special child will need much love.
His progress may seem very slow,
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run or laugh or play
His thoughts may seem quite far away,
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent
We want his life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play,
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for this gift from Heaven,
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is Heaven's very special child!"
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
EVERY MORNING
I find the strength to make it another day
without you another day. I think of you often and remember
all the silly things we used to do and the
fun we had. Now those days are gone and all I
can do is cling to the memories of a time long
since past. I cherish those times and hold them
close to my heart. Our love knows no boundaries
as my love for you continues to grow more and more.
I miss you!
Yours Truly,
Love Your Sister
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE RECORDINGS OF A CEMETERY
BY THELMA GREENE REGAN
Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For Loved Ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin;
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds-
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.
Today we wondered about the unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hollowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young, father, mother-
or someone who was older.
No indication could by found.
Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay.
We had been here once before
On a busy day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.
Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past;
To be preserved for generations hence.
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend
For stones sometimes crumble to dust.
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
THE BEST
God saw you were getting tired.
And a cure was not to be.
So He put his arms around you
And whispered, "Come with me".
With tearful eyes we watched you suffer.
And saw you fade away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes "The Best".
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
LETTING GO
You're still here in my heart and mind,
still making me laugh cause your stories live on.
I hold you in a thought and I can feel you.
I feel you and this gives me strength and courage.
The tears I have cried for you could flood the earth
and I know you have wiped each one away.
For you Brother, I promise you this,
I will go on with my life and make you proud. I will always hold you in my heart.
I promise you I will be missing you everyday till the end of time,
but this is not my end and I can't hold my head underwater....I need to breathe.
I need to love and miss you, but I also need to live because through me you will live,
you will still laugh and love,
you will still sing and dance,
you will still hug and kiss.
You will forever be in our lives,
you will forever be a brother,
a son,
a nephew
a cousin
and friend.
I am going to miss your shining face
I think of you and wonder why?
I might cry or smile,
but at the end of the day I am one day closer to you....
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Uncles:
Roger Dee Toomer
Roger Caldwell Mouritsen
Brandon Dennis Wilcox
Raymond George Shepherd
Cousins:
Richadrd Wayne Keys
Jonathan Lee Matthews
Lillianna Livia Jo Matthews
Maxwell C. Matthews
Michael James
Charles Tyson Sims
Mark Gregory Hebdon
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO THE ANONYMOUS PERSON WHO HAS SPONSORED MY BROTHER'S MEMORIAL. THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR KINDESS IS APPRECIATED MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
ALL VISITS ARE VERY APPRECIATED
Family Members
Siblings
