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Mormon Apostle Robert D. Hales Dies At Age 85

Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Elder Robert D. Hales died Sunday afternoon from causes incident to age, according to a statement from the LDS Church. He was in the hospital surrounded by his wife and family. 

Hales’ death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which along with the First Presidency, is the top leadership council of the LDS church.

Since he died just before the final session of the church’s Semiannual General Conference over the weekend, Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency made some remarks.

"We will miss him," said Eyring. "His wisdom and goodness have blessed our lives for many years.”

Hales was called to be an apostle in 1994 but had served as a general authority for the church for more than 40 years.

He had been showing signs of aging for some time. In recent years he’d often sit rather than stand when speaking during general conference and it was announced last week that he would not attend the sessions over the weekend.

Before his full-time service for the church, Hales received an MBA from Harvard and worked for a variety of companies including Gillette and Paper Mate.

It is undetermined when his vacancy will be filled.

 

Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.
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