“My heart is full of gratitude,” even as she grieved the death of her father, Laurie Marsh told mourners at the funeral for Russell M. Nelson, the late 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Thousands came in person to the church’s Salt Lake City conference center, and tens of thousands more watched online.
“Gratitude for the blessing of being a daughter of Dantzel and Russell Nelson,” Marsh continued, “gratitude for his remarkable 101 earthly years.”
Nelson was the oldest person ever to lead the Utah-based faith and made his mark. Church leaders lined the way as his casket was brought to the front of the center. His second wife, Wendy Watson, and family followed.
Two of his children and church leaders such as Jeffrey R. Holland and Dallin H. Oaks eulogized Nelson’s life. They described a man with a warm presence. Someone who deeply cared about people as individuals and showed genuine care for their lives. A person who wanted to make them feel seen.
He was “the man for whom the word gentleman was created,” Holland said.
They not only spoke about who Nelson was, but also testified that he was a prophet of God. The church’s gospel was never far from their words, and they called on the audience to follow what Nelson preached.
They described a loving father, grandfather and friend.
“When I think of our dad, I think of joy,” Marsh said. “Daddy always chose to be happy, and that made him so fun to be around.”
Gratitude for the life Nelson lived, both at home and in church leadership, was a sentiment repeated throughout the service.
Marsh said Nelson gave his family his full attention when he was home. Being his daughter meant going skiing, hiking and fishing as a family. She described sitting on the chair lift with her father on beautiful days, to which her dad would say, “the church is true.” She remembered going on walks with him and skipping, singing and listening to him play the organ.
“I know he has great faith in you and in me, and he will always be cheering each and every one of us on, inviting us to joyfully live with Christ in the center of our lives,” Marsh said.
Russell Nelson Jr. said he’s comforted by the faith’s teaching that families can be reunited after death. Many of the speakers echoed a similar sentiment.
Still, he said, mourning is a healthy reaction. Nelson Jr. quoted his father, saying, “The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.”
“So we continue on in love,” Nelson Jr. added.
Music was a central part of the day, with the choir singing between speakers. The first hymn was “Our Prayer to Thee,” for which Nelson wrote the lyrics.
Camille N. Johnson, president of the church’s Relief Society, thanked Nelson’s children for sharing their dad with the church and world. Johnson said Nelson always called her by her name, and he looked her directly in her eyes.
“President Nelson has literally changed the world one person and one interaction at a time,” Johnson said. “And he has invited us to do the same by drawing upon the power of God as covenant women and men.”
Johnson said after she was called to lead the church’s women’s organization, she began each day by listening to one of Nelson’s addresses from over the years.
“The delicious fruit of President Nelson's prophetic counsel is optimism in the face of uncertainty,” Johnson said. “It is confidence even when we don't have an answer to every question. It is joy and grief coexisting. It is trusting Jesus Christ.”
Johnson also mentioned the special attention Russell paid to women in the church. Women do not hold as many leadership roles or the priesthood.
But Johnson quoted Nelson, who said, “the heavens are just as open to women who are endowed with God's power flowing from their priesthood covenants, as they are to men who bear the priesthood.”
Dallin H. Oaks led the service and was the last to speak. Oaks is the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and is expected to succeed Nelson as the church’s next president, according to tradition.
When both were in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Oaks said Nelson was thoughtful but did not talk as much as some members of the group. When Nelson became president, Oaks said he was a decisive leader and attributed his quick decision-making to his background as a surgeon.
When Nelson met with leaders from other countries or faiths, Oaks said he was impressed by the impact Nelson had on them. And that his great love of the church was clear to each of these visitors.
“They came to meet him, his smile, the warmth of his voice and the power of his presence melted hearts. He asked about their families and their countries.”
As he sat by Nelson for decades in church leadership, Oaks said, “he became my best friend and most effective teacher.”
“His writings and his influence and his example live on, and so does our grief at his passing,” Oaks said.
As Nelson’s family proceeded to a private graveside service after the funeral, people lined the streets for the funeral procession.
It is anticipated that the church will soon announce the next president.
