Emotional farewell: Pres. Faust praised at funeral for his wisdom, compassion and love

Tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints gathered on Temple Square and in chapels in various parts of the world Tuesday to say farewell to President James E. Faust.

The second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who died Aug. 10 at the age of 87, was eulogized during funeral services in the Salt Lake Tabernacle as a man of deep and profound wisdom with "the mind of a lawyer and the compassion of a church leader."

Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said the goodbye was a challenge. "This is a time of deep emotion, and a difficult assignment for me. I've lost a close friend and a wise and able counselor." He said numerous messages of sympathy and love have come to church headquarters from all over the world since President Faust's death.

President Hinckley recalled his early association with President Faust, when they both worked as stake leaders in the same part of Salt Lake City. From that point, "I watched him as he progressed up the ladder of church administration. And in 1995, when I was called as president of the church, I knew I wanted him for a counselor."

In those days, President Faust was physically "sharp and bright. He was able to get about without difficulty. Then illness hit him. He had trouble with his back. One thing led to another. He had difficulty walking. He maneuvered that Jazzy (scooter) like a taxi driver," President Hinckley quipped to knowing laughter from the audience.

He recalled President Faust's early days as a farm boy, an athlete and a missionary in Brazil, a place that became so dear he "never got over his love for the people of that nation."

President Hinckley said President Faust was scheduled to participate in the Curitiba Brazil Temple dedication early next year, in the place where he baptized the first LDS family in that nation several decades earlier. "Now none of that is possible. It is all behind us. For him it will simply not be."

"His death was a terrible surprise. We miss him terribly. As we meet as a presidency I look to my right expecting to see him, and he is not there."

That fact was illustrated by President Faust's empty chair on the dais next to President Hinckley.

President Faust's faith was "unflagging. There was no doubt in his mind concerning the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith," President Hinckley said, calling his late counselor's most recent General Conference talk on forgiveness "a masterpiece, which will long be remembered."

He credited President Faust's wife, Ruth, and their children for being a "credit to his name."