Ethan's Funeral

On Saturday, we had a funeral for Ethan in Preston, Idaho. He was buried right above my Grandpa Hodges, who passed away almost 2 years ago. It was a very bittersweet moment for all of us because we knew Ethan had completed his mission, but we also knew we wouldn't see him again on this earth.

His little coffin was so small amidst all the big headstones and crowd of people and flowers. Christy and I both wrote him letters that we placed in a small plastic bag under his arm right before we sealed his coffin. He looked so sweet in his little white tuxedo that his Grandma Newman made for him and the blue blanket his Grandma Graf made.

Bishop Johnson presided over the funeral and we sang "I Am a Child of God" and "Families can be Together Forever," the same two songs that we sang for Ethan as he passed away in our arms at the hospital. Bishop Johnson gave a wonderful talk on Ethan's life and the reason that many infants die. He spoke about Ethan's mission on earth to gain a body and how he came here to strengthen all of us.

I (Ryan) then read the letter that I had written for Ethan. I felt a little frustrated because I couldn't seem to speak at times with the huge lump in my throat. I finally got through it and then Christy's Dad, Jared dedicated the grave with a beautiful prayer in which he promised us that the place where Ethan and Grandpa were buried would be preserved from harm until they were resurrected.

After the funeral, we knelt beside Ethan's coffin and said goodbye to him. I am so glad that we know the gospel promises we have been given. What a blessing it is to know that we will have him forever. We went to the Winder Ward chapel afterwards and had a great meal provided by the Relief Society from our Cedar 2nd ward in Pocatello. Thank you Cedar 2nd ward for all your help and providing such a great service to our family. It was great (especially the cheesey potatoes!). We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support at this hard time in our lives. It was pretty tough and sad to say goodbye, but with so much love coming from all around us, we felt so peaceful. Christy's brother, Randy and dad, Jared, holding the girls...as you can see in these pictures the girls were held by almost everyone!

The girls looked cute in their dresses that Grandma Gilmore got them for the funeral.

Thanks Grandma!