News Release — 5 June 2015 via Mormon Newsroom —
Thousands of people gathered on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 5, 2015, to honor and remember Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Perry died on May 30 at the age of 92 shortly after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Approximately 2,500 people filled the historic Tabernacle to capacity for the funeral, while many others attended the services in the overflow seating of the nearby Assembly Hall and thousands more watched the broadcast live on LDS.org and on the Church satellite system.
The service, held under the direction of the First Presidency, was attended by general authorities and auxiliary leaders of the Church, as well as community and civic leaders and members of Elder Perry’s family.
“I declare to you, my brothers and sisters, that there was no chink in L. Tom Perry’s armor; there was no guile in his soul; there was no flaw in his character. He loved the Lord with all his heart and soul and served Him with all his might to the very end of his mortal life.” —President Thomas S. Monson
Elder L. Tom Perry (Image via Mormon Newsroom)
“The prayers and the expressions of comfort and gratitude from the members of the Church have been overwhelming,” said Lee Perry, Elder Perry’s son and the first speaker. Acknowledging the presence of religious leaders from other faiths, he said he was “quite certain that Elder Perry is looking down on all of us right now, and he is very pleased to see us gathered together.”
The American flag was draped over the casket of Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Perry served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II (Image via www.mormonnewsroom.org)
Lee Perry added, “He embraced a life that was always full speed ahead. He immersed himself so completely in everything he did that he forgot until very late in life that it was necessary to slow down, and so the end came much sooner than expected. Still, he lived his life to its fullest — a life of devotion to God, family and country.”
Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also spoke at the funeral.
“Elder Perry, by his nature, is one who always expected to see things move forward,” explained Elder Ballard. “He seemed to have very little patience if time was not productive. He always taught, encouraged and inspired all of the general authorities that we could do more, we could do better and we could move faster in blessing the lives of every member of the Church.”
Funeral coverage begins at timecode 39:17 in the video above.
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