President Hinckley remembered by family, friends, church leaders

The family watched that growth deepen for him during the past four years, "the capstone years of his life. Following the death of mother, his grief was almost overwhelming. Characteristically he acknowledged it — felt it, wept and mourned deeply. He went to the Lord with his tears, thus allowing the loss to carve out an even deeper place in his heart for compassion and dig an even deeper well of faith and trust in God.

"Then, with that increase in compassion and faith, he put on his shoes and went back to work — in every sense of the word."

After a cancer diagnosis two years ago, "he repeated the pattern," she said. After mourning the loss of good health and feeling the fear of how the disease would progress, "he said that he felt compelled to do his part," knowing he was in the Lord's hands and the prayers of millions were with him.

"And with the wonderful help of medical friends, he did just that — with courage and good humor. The result was a miraculous two-year extension of his life, when he could get up each morning, put on his shoes and go to work."

She thanked church members, fellow general authorities, medical personnel and his staff and personal secretary, Don Staheli, for making it possible for him to fulfill his responsibilities as president.

President Thomas S. Monson, who presided at the service, said it was difficult to recall a time when he and President Hinckley had not known each other, having served side by side in the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency for more than 44 years.

When traveling together once on an assignment in southern Utah, he noticed that President Hinckley was wearing paper clips as cuff links. Realizing the situation, President Monson complimented him and they laughed, then he offered his extra set to his colleague.

Latter-day Saints had enjoyed watching President Hinckley with his cane in recent years, waving it to them or using it to tap someone on the shoulder. When urged by President Hinckley's doctor to push him to use it to steady himself, President Monson said, "Doctor, I am President Hinckley's counselor. You are his doctor. You tell him."

President Hinckley's determination and his own humor never derided his sense of the sacred, he said, recounting a simple act of reverence and respect that often occurred as the two of them were transported regularly through the underground tunnels on Temple Square.

As the cart passed under Main Street during winter, when President Hinckley was wearing his coat and hat, he seemed to know instinctively when they were beneath the Salt Lake Temple, and "without a word, he would remove his hat and place it in his lap. It was such a simple yet profound expression of reverence and respect for the House of the Lord, and it made a deep impression on me."