President James E. Faust's "gentle manner and depth of knowledge" will be missed not only by leaders, but also by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who contacted church headquarters from many parts of the world to express their heartfelt condolences since his passing early Friday morning.
Church spokesman Bruce Olsen said President Faust "was a true Christian who spoke and wrote with wit and wisdom. Many members of the church loved his unique way of teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ at general conference."
President Faust was set apart as second counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley on March 12, 1995, and served there for nearly 12 1/2 years. He was ordained an apostle on Oct. 1, 1978, at the age of 58, and served in the Quorum of the Twelve for 16 years.
One of his last notable public appearances was on June 23, 2007, the occasion of President Gordon B. Hinckley's 97th birthday and also the dedication of the new Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center at Provo's Brigham Young University.
"These past 12 years have been a tremendous blessing to serve with him and Thomas S. Monson and see quite literally the Lord working through a prophet," President Faust said during the dedication.
His physical mobility had been limited the past several years, and he delivered remarks from a seated position.
During his years as a general authority, he was president of the church's international mission, general authority adviser for South America, executive director of the Church Curriculum Department, director of Welfare Services and editor of the church's three monthly magazines. He also had served as managing director for the Melchizedek Priesthood MIA.
President Faust was sustained as an Assistant to the Twelve on Oct. 6, 1972. He was called to the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976. He also served as stake president of the Cottonwood Stake (1956-68), on the high council in the Big Cottonwood Stake (1947-48) and as bishop in the Big Cottonwood Ward (1949-55) and as counselor in the bishopric of that ward. He was called as a regional representative for the church in 1968.
He was also chairman of the Jordan Valley Bishops Council and a second counselor in the Cottonwood Stake Presidency, 1955-56.
President Faust served a mission to Brazil from 1939-42, where he was a district president. In 1998, he received a Brazilian national citizenship award — an honor given to only a few world leaders — and was awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Sao Paulo.
A 1937 graduate of Granite High School, he lettered in football and track and was also a prosecuting attorney in student court. He was later inducted into the Granite High Hall of Fame.
He was also a 1948 graduate of the University of Utah School of Law, where he received a bachelor of arts and a juris doctorate degree. He ran the quarter-mile and was a member of the mile relay team for the U. in 1938.
His college education was interrupted by service during World War II in the U.S. Air Force, from which he was discharged as a first lieutenant.
He practiced law in Salt Lake City from 1948 until his call to be a general authority in 1972. He had served as president of the Utah Bar Association from 1962-63 and as Democratic representative in the Utah Legislature from 1949-51.While a legislator, he also served as chairman of the House liquor investigation committee.
President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Racial Unrest. He also had been a member of the state's Constitutional Revision Committee and had been an adviser to the American Bar Journal. Former Utah Gov. Scott Matheson had appointed him state director of the Friendshipping Force.
As a business leader, President Faust served on the board of the Deseret News Publishing Co. from 1970 to 1996. That service included being vice president and chairman of the executive committee. He also had been a trustee of Ballet West and a board member for Commercial Security Bank.
In 1997, he was given an honorary degree of Christian service by Brigham Young University. The U. awarded him an honorary degree in 2002.
He was characterized as a high school football letterman, a husband, father, church leader and the "family Google" by the BYU Management Society when he was honored with its "Distinguished Utahn" award in 2006.
His daughter, Janna R. Coombs, called him "a great family patriarch," who taught his children and grandchildren from the experiences of his "rich and righteous life," after he received that award.
President Faust's own humility and humor also were evident when he received the award.
"I'm sure that I don't deserve this honor," he said in accepting the award. "But as Jack Benny once said, 'I don't deserve this honor. But then I have arthritis, and I don't deserve that, either."'
In 2003, President Faust became the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the J. Reuben Clark Law Society.
He told society members that lawyers, sometimes accused of being greedy, should always put the interest of clients first. He recalled that, after covering his expenses, he earned a mere $3 from his first client, but never wanted for material things.
He also told society members that the laws of men are hardly enough for a civilized society to survive on. Those who keep the laws of God have no need to break the laws of men, he said.
President Faust was born July 31, 1920, in Delta, one of five sons to George A. Faust and Amy Finlinson Faust. He learned early in life the value of honest work, both at home and at the farms of his grandparents in central Utah. When he was 3 years old, his family moved to a house on Norris Place in Salt Lake City and attended the 11th Ward.
During his formative years, he was influenced by many church leaders and teachers. One bishop, President Faust said, was T.C. Stayner, who had two themes: be honest and keep your word.
"He repeated those over and over and over. It got to the point where it was completely predictable, and a little bit tiresome, but the message stuck. I am grateful for a man of integrity who had that kind of influence on me."
Hunting and fishing were among his favorite leisure activities in his young adult days.
He met his wife, Ruth Wright, while attending Granite High. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on April 21, 1943.
The gospel was always an important part in President Faust's life, as well as that of his wife. "The church is our life. We have always honored the calls that have come to us because we know this is the Lord's church."
"I can't even remember when I didn't have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I think this has been an inherent spiritual gift."
His church callings before becoming a general authority of the church included bishop, stake high councilor, stake president and regional representative. He was called as a counselor in his ward Sunday School superintendency at age 17.
When called as an assistant to the Twelve in 1972, President Faust said, "I'm not only humbled, I'm scared. I will need help, especially from the Lord, or I will be inadequate."
After being called to the Twelve, then-Elder Faust said, "I understand that a chief requirement for the holy apostleship is to be a personal witness of Jesus as the Christ and the Divine Redeemer. Perhaps on that basis alone, I can qualify. This truth has been made known to me by the unspeakable peace and power of the Spirit of God."
Later on in his address he pledged to God and the prophet "my life, and whatever energy and little ability I may have, fully and completely and without reservation."
He showed the same deep devotion to his family, keeping in regular contact with his children and grandchildren and leaving behind what family members agree is a rich legacy of love, faith and example. He and his wife, the former Ruth Wright of Salt Lake City, are the parents of five children: James H. Faust, Janna R. Coombs, Marcus G. Faust, Lisa A. Smith and Robert P. Faust. They have 25 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
Contributing: Tom Hatch
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com