President Howard W. Hunter's life was preserved over a long period, during which he was "polished and refined . . . trained and taught under the plan of the Almighty to stand at this season as prophet to the nations and revelator to the people."
So declared President Gordon B. Hinckley at funeral services Wednesday for the 14th leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.President Hunter, who had held the office only about nine months but whose service as an apostle spanned more than 35 years, died Friday, March 3, at his downtown Salt Lake residence after being ill with prostate cancer. He was 87 years old.
Some 6,000 people attended the funeral in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, which was decorated with dozens of sprays of flowers. The Assembly Hall accommodated others who could not get into the Tabernacle. Thousands more watched the service on television and through satellite transmission to hundreds of locations.
Scores of government, civic and business leaders and representatives of Catholic, Protestant and other religious denominations attended the funeral. Before the service began, many in the audience spontaneously sang "We Thank Ye O God for a Prophet" and other church hymns.
President Hinckley, who served as first counselor to President Hunter in the First Presidency, announced that President Clinton was among prominent leaders who called to express condolences. Burial in the Salt Lake City Cemetery followed the funeral.
Noting that President Hunter's chair in the Salt Lake Tabernacle was vacant and that "I feel that vacancy," President Hinckley told of his love and appreciation for his close associate.
Referring to President Hunter's spiritual strength, President Hinckley said, "A majestic tree in the forest has fallen, leaving a place of emptiness. A great and quiet strength has departed from our midst."
He called attention to the suffering that President Hunter had endured, how he did not complain and how his suffering "has comforted and mitigated the pain of many others who suffer."
Continuing, he said, "They know that he understood the heaviness of their burdens. He reached out to these with a special kind of love."
President Hinckley recalled President Hunter's kind and gentle ways, the powerful way he declared Christ's gospel and how he touched the lives of millions of people through his travels, personal visits and other ministerial efforts.
President Hinckley noted President Hunter's dedication late last year of the 2,000th stake in Mexico and his earlier visits after becoming president to Nauvoo and Carthage, Ill. He praised President Hunter's loving concern for his first wife, Claire, before her death and of the blessing his second wife, Inis, has been in his life.
He recalled President Hunter's expression of "thank you" to those about him before he died. Also, President Hinckley thanked physicians, nurses and others who had treated the church president with such "great gentleness."
President Thomas S. Monson, who served as second counselor to President Hunter, told of his long association with the church leader dating to when President Hunter was president of Pasadena (Calif.) Stake.
President Monson recounted President Hunter's service as adviser to the Primary Association. He also recalled his own recent visit with President Hunter before addressing a gathering of young people at Brigham Young University. President Monson said his talk at BYU centered on six virtues of President Hunter's life: courtesy, humility, deliberateness, love, scholarship and loyalty.
President Hunter's earthly mission, President Monson said, was marked by a number of monumental events. They include the World Conference on Records, the expansion of family history work, his leadership of the Council of the Twelve, his "pioneering" efforts for the BYU Jerusalem Center and the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. He also dedicated the Orlando and Bountiful Temples.
In a comforting tone, President Monson referred to the Savior's words of love and peace, saying President Hunter "lived as he taught - after the pattern of the Savior whom he served."
President Boyd K. Packer, who has been acting president of the Council of the Twelve, focused on President Hunter's ability to "endure."
President Packer's address, filled with expressions of love and appreciation for the church president, was nicely mixed with humor. He told of when President Hunter, who was unable to walk or stand at times because of physical problems, spoke at a general conference session while sitting instead of standing.
"You seem to enjoy conference so much sitting down, I thought I would do the same," President Packer quoted President Hunter as telling the conference audience.
President Packer discussed succession in the church, saying the "brief administration of President Howard W. Hunter symbolizes the supernal spiritual genius in the organization which the Lord revealed. It is a testament that this is The Church of Jesus Christ and that he presides over it. The Lord has his own measure of the credentials of the one who will lead his church."
Elder James E. Faust, also a member of the Council of the Twelve, stressed President Hunter's achievements. He said perhaps the most remarkable oc-cur-rence was how during a short time, "members of the church all over the world became bonded to him in a special way as their prophet, seer and revelator. They have seen in him the personification of the attributes of the Savior himself . . ."
He recalled President Hunter's love for the Holy Land, of his perseverance that helped him to succeed in law, in business and in his many church callings.
"Always charming, gracious, cordial, friendly, gentlemanly, kind and sympathetic, he had a way of drawing people to him. There was a special magic in his personality. Although outgoing in so many ways, he was also a private man. He had no inner conflicts and tensions. He had no ego needs. With all his wisdom, he could sit among his brethren and say very little. He was at complete peace with himself . . .," Elder Faust said.
In his address, Jon M. Huntsman, a longtime close friend and President Hunter's former stake president, said the church leader was a "loyal, devoted and loving friend to so many . . . All the traits embodied by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, were beautifully characterized in President Hunter's remarkable and selfless life. All mankind were his friends."
A regional representative for the church and an internationally known business and civic leader, Huntsman highlighted programs and qualities stressed by President Hunter, referring to him several times as "Dear President." He thanked him, among other things, for "permitting us to learn from your humility and graciousness."
He expressed appreciation for "reminding us of the sacred nature of the sacrament" and for "teaching humility and kindness and always ensuring the comfort of others."
Prayers at the funeral were said by Elders M. Russell Ballard and Jeffrey R. Holland, both members of the Council of the Twelve. The family prayer was given by a son, Richard A. Hunter.
Tabernacle Choir numbers, "I Need Thee Every Hour," "How Great Thou Art," "Nearer, My God, to Thee," and "Abide with Me; 'Tis Eventide" provided a reverential tone to the meeting. Jerold D. Ottley conducted the choir, which was accompanied by Tabernacle organist John Longhurst. Linda Margetts played the organ prelude and postlude.
Following the service, the funeral cortege proceeded to the Salt Lake City Cemetery, where President Hunter was buried in the northwest corner, in a spot overlooking the valley that had become his home and the center of his faith.
Grandsons bore his handsome, flower-draped wooden casket from a hearse to its resting place on a stand in front of a canopied area where family members were seated for the final rites.
Although a brisk breeze was defeating the best efforts of sunshine sifting through partly cloudy skies, the day was pleasant and a fitting atmosphere for the burial of the prophet, said President Hinckley.
President Hunter's son, John J. Hunter, dedicated the gravesite as a haven for his father's mortal remains and as a place of inspiration to those who might come to visit.
He prayed that it would be "a peaceful place for the rededication of those who wish to follow the Savior, as he has."
President Hunter's "meteor-like life" had influenced many and provided a message to remember, the younger Hunter said. He dedicated the spot "until the great day of the Resurrection, in gratitude for the Atonement and sacrifice of the Son."
Members of the Council of the Twelve and their wives lined the west side of the site, respectfully bidding farewell to a compatriot, friend and fellow servant. After the formal dedication, many of them, along with family and friends, lingered at the gravesite for nearly an hour to visit and to extend condolences to the Hunter family.