Eminent LDS Church historian Leonard Arrington was remembered Tuesday as a fun-loving father and friend who cherished his faith and was immovably loyal to the integrity of his trade.
"I regard Leonard as a man who loved the Lord," said President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, adding the "dean of Mormon history" was blessed with a firm belief in the atonement of Christ, Joseph Smith and the leadership of Brigham Young.Hundreds squeezed into the Parleys First Ward Chapel Tuesday for Mr. Arrington's funeral. The former LDS Church historian died last Thursday at his Salt Lake City home from heart complications. He was 81.
Mr. Arrington's research afforded the historical "grist" that became his acclaimed books, President Hinckley said, praising his friend's "desire to put before the world that which he believed."
President Hinckley remembered Mr. Arrington as a congenial man with a hearty laugh.
While some historians may be concerned with the dusty tomes of the past, Mr. Arrington was always a happy man, the church leader said.
Mr. Arrington loved pecan pie, chocolate bread pudding, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and anything associated with Italy and his native Idaho, recalled his daughter, Susan A. Madsen.
"He was a person who worked hard and played hard," Madsen said.
Madsen said she relished the weekly letters she and her other siblings received from their father -- letters often rich with memories and Mr. Arrington's strong personal convictions.
"His passing is the only thing he has ever done that has made me very sad," Madsen said.
Heidi Swinton, a stepdaughter, said Mr. Arrington possessed a "good heart and a good hand." Mr. Arrington fully embraced the new members of his family when he married his second wife, Harriet Ann Horne, in 1983. His first wife, Grace Fort Arrington, passed away in 1982.
Mr. Arrington was a hit at family parties and barbecues, Swinton said, adding, "No one could open a present faster than Leonard Arrington."
Swinton recalled the opportunities she had to work with her stepfather and professional mentor, remembering Mr. Arrington's relentless attention to details in his historical research and writing.
"He laughed with us and bolstered us when times were hard," Swinton said.
Several of Mr. Arrington's history colleagues also spoke Tuesday.
Davis Bitton, a University of Utah history professor who worked with Mr. Arrington during his 10-year tenure as church historian, called Mr. Arrington "my closest and dearest friend."
Bitton praised Mr. Arrington's desire to tell Mormon history that was honest, credible and "true to its richness."
Mr. Arrington was loyal to his family, his friends, the highest standards of his profession and to the church and its prophetic leadership, Bitton said.
Thomas G. Alexander said his fellow historian made friends easily with people of all associations and faiths.
"He was a model for all historians, particularly for those of us who are Latter-day Saints," Alexander said.
Following a Wednesday service in Cache County, Mr. Arrington will be buried at the Logan City Cemetery.