SALT LAKE CITY — Funeral services for Elder Robert D. Hales, a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will be held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square on Friday at 11 a.m.
Elder Hales died Sunday of causes incident to age between the final two sessions of the church's 2017 semiannual general conference after serving as an apostle for 23 years. He was 85.
The funeral will be open to the public ages 8 and older, according to a news release issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Temple Square gates and the Tabernacle doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Those wishing to attend should be in their seats by 10:30 a.m. Overflow seating will be available in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. The church campus buildings will be closed at 10:30 a.m. and will reopen following the funeral at 1 p.m.
The funeral services will be broadcast live via MormonNewsroom.org, LDS.org (English, Spanish, and Portuguese), KSL TV 5.2, the KSL TV app, BYUtv, BYUtv Global, KBYUtv Eleven, BYUtv International, Mormon Channel, Canal Mormón (Spanish) and on the church satellite system. In addition, audio broadcasts will air on KSL radio HD-2, BYU Classical 89 and BYU Radio.
A private burial service will take place at the Bountiful Memorial Cemetery in Bountiful following the funeral.
There will be no public viewing, but expressions of sympathy can be posted on the Elder Robert D. Hales Facebook page or emailed to condolences@ldschurch.org.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Humanitarian Aid Fund or the Church’s General Missionary Fund give.lds.org/hales.
Elder Hales is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Crandall, and their two sons, Stephen and David.
Elder Hales is the fourth apostle to pass away in the past 29 months. Elder L. Tom Perry died in May 2015 at age 92, President Boyd K. Packer was 90 when he passed away in July 2015 at age 90 and Elder Richard G. Scott died in September 2015 at age 86.
The four apostles served in the Quorum of the Twelve for a combined 135 years.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson called three new apostles in October 2015, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson and Elder Dale G. Renlund. President Monson, 90, missed the faith's international general conference last week because of limitations incident to age.
Church leaders have not determined when the new vacancy in the quorum will be filled, according to a news release.
A college baseball player from New York, Air Force fighter pilot and successful corporate businessman who became the president of major corporations such as Papermate, Elder Hales became a general authority of the LDS Church in 1975.
He was the church's presiding bishop for nine years, serving directly under the supervision of the First Presidency and overseeing the faith's welfare program and humanitarian efforts, the collection and distribution of tithing funds and the construction of temples and meetinghouses.
He joined the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1994.
Read more about Elder Hales' life at deseretnews.com.