President Fry died on his sixty-ninth birthday, exactly seven years to the day after becoming president of the Morgan Stake. The next day the two counselors, Brother Francis and Brother Rich, met with Richard Rawle Fry, the son of President Fry, to help make arrangements for the funeral. A telegram had been sent to the General Authorities in Salt Lake City on the day of President Fry's death, but Samuel Francis wrote a long letter that evening to President Lorenzo Snow.131 President Snow: In deep sorrow I announce to you that our beloved president, Richard Fry, died here at his home at 3 o'clock this afternoon of heart failure. President Fry returned from the annual conference last Monday night, sick from a bad cold. Tuesday and Wednesday he had a violent fever. Thursday it settled on his lungs and brought on pneumonia. He improved somewhat from the bad effects of his cold and fever on Friday and Saturday, but his heart troubles grew worse and his pulsation weakened. He suffered much in his efforts to breathe and became delirious. President Fry had been so often sick, worse, apparently, than this time and rallied again, that we had good hopes for his recovery. He was resting quiet when Brother Rich called on him before going to attend the Enterprise conference at 1 o'clock. We were much surprised to find him dead on our return in the evening. President Fry has suffered for years from heart troubles and had to be very careful to keep up sufficient strength to get about. President Fry was just 69 years of age when he died. He was bom at 3 o'clock, April 15,1831, and died at that same hour today. President Fry was greatly beloved for his loving kindness and earnest devotion to his duties as our president. Outside of his family none will feel his loss more than myself; we have labored together for thirty-five years in the Morgan Ward and Stake. The family have appointed Thursday next at 1 o'clock for the funeral. We hope you can send some of the brethren up, if you cannot come yourself, to attend the funeral and to give us instructions how to proceed in the absence of our deceased president. It seems impossible for me to write you as I would like to for the great loss affects me mentally and physically. Praying God to guide and direct you, and to help us always to follow your directions, I am Yours truly, Samuel Francis132 Samuel Francis wrote about the funeral: "Thursday, April 19,1900: Today we buried our President, Richard Fry, one of the oldest settlers, a good neighbor, with whom I have worked shoulder to shoulder for over thirty years. I shall miss him and never be able to replace him. We had the largest funeral ever had in Morgan County. The Stake House was most beautifully decorated for the occasion. . . . Mrs. Ann Fry and her daughters, Mary Ann and Emily, were too sick to attend the funeral."133