SATB to Melody

I want to take an SATB hymn arrangement and change it to just a melody edition. In my score I made a copy and called it melody. I deleted the lower tenor and bass notes and hid the measures (Select measures> edit> delete). How do I remove the alto notes. If I select all the notes in voice 2 and delete them I am left with half and quarter note rests, not what I want. Should I select voice 2 and changing the visibility. I am looking for the best approach/ practice.