COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — As president and spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Rulon T. Jeffs often admonished his followers to "keep sweet, no matter what."
On Thursday some 5,080 mourners, several from as far away as Canada, were reminded of that advice during funeral services for Mr. Jeffs, a former accountant, who died Sunday at the age of 92.
"Just keep sweet no matter what. If you keep sweet, you love one another. Never let a cross thing pass your lips," Mr. Jeffs said on March 18, 2002, according to the funeral program. On July 12, 2002, Mr. Jeffs is recorded as saying to his flock, "We must be positive, no excuses. Love the Lord God. Smile and keep sweet."
And smiles were abundant Thursday from those seen leaving Mr. Jeffs' two-hour funeral service in the L.S. Johnson Meeting House. Afterward, men and boys clad in dark suits, accompanied by women and girls wearing pastel, long-sleeved dresses that fell far beyond their knees, quietly climbed a nearby hill for graveside services at the Isaac Carling Memorial Park. Few spoke to a small group of reporters armed with notebooks and camera equipment, who earlier were asked to stay off church property.
Followers of the 10,000-member FLDS church practice polygamy and often shun outsiders and those who choose to leave the church. Most of the church's members reside in the twin border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., while another group lives in Creston Valley, a Canadian community near the Idaho line.
Much of Colorado City, which consists of crisscrossed, mostly gravel roads, lined with unfinished houses and a few businesses, was closed for the afternoon so residents could attend Mr. Jeffs' funeral. Streets were quiet, and the only traffic was an occasional vehicle or the sheriff's deputy truck patrolling the area around the meeting house.
"This is by far the largest crowd we have ever had in this building. The size of this congregation is a testimony to the type of man that he was,' " Colorado City Mayor Dan Barlow told reporters after the service. "Rulon Jeffs was a perfect example and a simple teacher. That's why the people loved him so much."
"Keep Sweet" was a catch word of Mr. Jeffs, Barlow said. "He meant don't criticize, don't find fault, to keep that sweet spirit in your life."
Two grandsons of Mr. Jeffs, Joe and Matt Draper, who arrived late for the funeral after driving there from Phoenix, were told by those at the door they could not enter the meeting house.
"We found out if you were second generation and not a member of the church, they wouldn't let you in. You could get in if you were a member, though," said Joe Draper, 40, who left the church by the time he was 21. "If you were first generation you could go in, even if you weren't a member."
Draper's mother, Elaine, is one of Mr. Jeffs' many children. She was allowed to attend the funeral, even though she also left the church years ago and now lives in San Francisco.
The brothers, who say they are both "deeply agnostic" after growing up as members of the FLDS church, also say they have fond childhood memories of a father who had six wives.
"We had enough kids for two baseball teams," said Matt Draper, 38. "We didn't know it was weird until we were older. Kids used to yell 'polygs' at us, throw eggs and rocks at our house, and snap my suspenders."
But being different doesn't bother most members of the FLDS church, said Barlow, who has been mayor here for 17 years.
"We live with the outside world. We have no problem with the outside world," he told reporters. "Our people are private. The things they do they do for their God, not for anybody else."
Critics who charge that FLDS church leaders condone marriage of girls as young as 14 are misinformed, said Barlow, although he would not address the question of whether girls as young as 16 are married to men more than twice their age.
"Young girls are not married in this community beyond the legal age, which is 16. This accusation of welfare fraud and young brides is ridiculous," he said. "The Fundamentalist belief is that man has more than one family and that marriage is ordained of God. We believe in revelation. That's what makes this America. This is working here. Families are happy."
Rulon Jeffs' family was large — some say he had at least 19 wives — although Barlow said he did not know exactly how many wives and children the church leader had.
Among those who spoke at Mr. Jeffs' funeral was his 46-year-old son, Warren Jeffs, who is the first president of the FLDS church. Presiding Bishop Fred M. Jessop, who is near in age to Rulon Jeffs, also spoke. Rulon Jeffs was described during the funeral as a "perfect man" who followed his testimony with great courage, Barlow said.
"Time will tell if there will be another leader like Rulon Jeffs," said the mayor, who is also an elder in the FLDS church. "No new president has been chosen, and I have no feel for when that will happen. There is no timeline for these things."
As the first presidency of the FLDS church, Warren Jeffs and Jessop will remain in charge until the issue of the next president is decided.
"Fred Jessop is the only living witness now of the beginning of this work that began in Colorado City in 1935," Barlow said, adding he believes God will reveal the next president of the FLDS church.
E-mail: nperkins@infowest.com