Alpheus and a nephew Asa Harmon froze to death returning from a mission. Following is a poem I wrote to him from his grieving wife.....

To Alpheus – from Hulda
Oh, Alpheus-- my dearest friend
my beloved husband
my sweetheart–
We have been through so much together–
With your hand in mine, I was brave.
With you nearby, I was strong.
I remember how much we dreaded to part
When you left on the Lord's errand–
I will ever recall the sweetness of the blessings
You gave me and each of our children
Before you left.....
Was it just 6 weeks ago?
It seems ages have passed.
You took Henry aside
And told him that one day he would stand
In your place as head of this family.
Henry is only ten years old!
That task should have fallen to Edwin–
My dear boys have done so much!
They have worked their hearts out
To make sure we had everything we needed.
We have read the Book of Mormon and prayed
every day.
We prayed for you, my beloved–
So, why did you die???
Oh, how, I miss you already–
One thing I know about you–
You LOVED The Book of Mormon
There it was, beneath your cheek
As you lay on the hard, cold, frozen ground–
I think you wanted me to know
You remained firm in the faith
To the very end.
I've always been a woman who speaks my mind
and One who helps others in times of distress
But now, I am speechless–
And I am the one in distress–
You are gone–to a better world they say–
And I am here–with our family–
It will be a long, lonely road
Without you, my love.
My parents and brothers and sisters
No longer acknowledge me
As their daughter– or sister–
With you by my side, that was bearable.
Look, at our babes–
Baby Hulda is barely toddling
Unaware of my heartache, yet kissing my tears.
Patting my cheek with her chubby little hands.
"All better, Mama, all better."
Three year old Alpheus is running around
Into, on top of, and under everything.
I am so glad I insisted we call him Alpheus–
after you–
He will probably not even remember you–
But he will remember when the Prophet
Came to our house and held him on his knee
And blessed him– to ever be a comfort to me.
He prayed with our family
And left the Lord's blessing on our household.
He loved you, Alpheus.
He knows your sacrifice in building two
temples to our God.
He promised that I could be sealed to you
forever.
That we and our family can all be together
again–
That is why we must finish the temple!
How could anyone go through this
Without the comfort of knowing families are
forever?
Alma and Ammon are trying so hard to be brave
Elizabeth and Caroline have been good with
them
Trying to keep them busy and quiet.
Henry and Ebenezer are like two peas in a pod–
They are old enough to understand death
And tears keep coming to their young eyes.
That tell-tale clean spot on their faces
Tells me that this is not easy for them either.
Edwin has been everything a lad should be
He has taken care of the animals and helped
The girls with the chores
At sixteen, he seems such a man–
But way too sober.
Not only has he lost his father,
But one of his favorite cousins
To whom he looked to for an example.
Six young sons– talented like their father–
Handsome, too. They look so much like you!
The dear girls have been such a comfort
And help with the baby and little boys.
What would I do without Caroline and
Elizabeth?
Oh, my love–
You have left me with reason to go on.....
We love you so much.
You were the perfect husband and father....
May you stay close enough in spirit
So I don't have this to do alone.
I'll love you forever----
Rest in peace, my beloved one!
– Cheryl Bills