Longtime Mormon Leader Fondly Remembered Locally: Church Members Recall Hinckley As an Upbeat, Humbl

Jan 29, 05:41 AM

Jan. 29--On Monday, Mormon boys all over the region wore white shirts and ties -- standard missionary attire -- and teenage girls wore modest dresses to school.

They did this as a special tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley, the president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who died Sunday at the age of 97.

Though he met with world leaders -- some of whom are expected to attend his funeral later this week in Utah -- Hinckley had a special connection with the faithful.

"He's had a tremendous influence on my life and many others," said Alan Fisher, church member and chief executive officer of East Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries. "Watching him, at his age, dedicate the temple here was amazing."

Many of the Sacramento region's 82,000 Mormons will gather in one of the 21 local meetinghouses to watch Hinckley's funeral via satellite Saturday.

Hinckley visited Northern California several times over the years. During his most recent trip in 2006, he dedicated the Sacramento Temple in Rancho Cordova. He wore his customary white temple suit and laughed when he spilled mortar.

William Marble, a church member and Woodland city councilman, met Hinckley in 1972. Marble was serving as a church missionary in Peru.

"We were young, away from home in a foreign country and around so much poverty," says Marble. "He came and lifted our spirits and reminded us of the work to do. He was very down to earth."

Hinckley, who started with the church in 1937 as a Sunday school teacher, oversaw the growth of the faith that church leaders say now has more than 12 million members worldwide.

Yet those who know him said he was a humble man. Hinckley lived in a modest, 1,600-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in Salt Lake City, according to Richard H. Winkel, president of the Sacramento Temple who visited Hinckley at his home. "It was nice but not fancy at all," said Winkel.

A former public relations executive for the church, Hinckley was conscious of perception.

"He never traveled in a Cadillac or Mercedes," said Winkel, who added Hinckley counseled other church leaders to live modestly. "He didn't have to, but he did."

In his later years, Hinckley walked with a cane, but his age didn't dampen his enthusiasm. He was scheduled to oversee the opening of another temple in Idaho next week.

"We feel about him the same way the Catholics feel about the pope," said Lisa West, regional spokeswoman for the church. "People loved him."

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