Death, the saying goes, comes in threes. New Hampshire lost three of the best in the last week.

Leo Pepino and Don Glennon no doubt knew each other. The former, an alderman and then longtime legislator, was a Manchester fixture and icon, though he would hate to hear us say so.

Pepino cared. He cared about people. He cared about how the people’s money was spent. He cared, deeply, about his country, which he had served in the military as well as civilian life.

Glennon cared, too, and in much the same way. His military service in Europe in World War II led directly to a life of public service in law enforcement, first as a Manchester police officer and later as an investigator for the Attorney General.

We were touched, too, by how much both these men cared for their wives. Rita and Leo Pepino were a team for years until her death, which wore on him greatly. Don Glennon was visiting his wife twice a day in a nursing home until shortly before he died.

Liz Murphy cared for, and was cared for by, a network of family, friends and co-workers as numerous as the people and businesses she represented over a lifetime of first-rate service.

Liz gave “lobbying’’ a good name. She helped people and groups find their way through the labyrinth of Concord lawmaking and rulemaking in order to have their cases heard. She always made the case with the facts, and without the rancor.

Her spirit and smile in living were, to none of her friends’ surprise, the same in dying. She had a profound effect on many and will be missed greatly.