Prophet's funeral full of 'highs and lows, laughing and crying'

President Hinckley's passing is "both sad and happy. He's now with his wife, and they'll be together forever. We'll miss his sense of humor and the legacy of all he did through his administration of the church. He touched many lives, especially in the Philippines," said Virginia Carteciano, formerly of the Philippines, now of Saratoga Springs.

Saturday was a special day long to be remembered by Alyssa Allred, 8, of Kaysville, who attended the funeral with her grandmother, Marcia Stuart, of Brigham City. Later in the afternoon, she was to be baptized a member of the church. "I liked the very last talk," said Alyssa, "the one where they had all the pictures of President Hinckley. He's the only prophet I've ever known."

Kami Antriyao, 24, sat quietly on Temple Square during the funeral, gazing at the temple and listening to the service over the loudspeakers. She and a friend drove down from Logan solely to raise canes — borrowed from older relatives — to salute their prophet. They arrived too late to get tickets to sit in the Conference Center.

"I've been thinking about President Hinckley's reunion with Heavenly Father," she said, tearfully. "I imagine Heavenly Father will give him a big hug and tell him, 'Thank you for helping the world.' He accomplished so much during his life."

Many servicegoers answered simply when asked why they took time out of their day to attend a memorial service for a man they had never met personally.

"He's my prophet," they said, eyes moist.

Most said they felt as if the church leader was a personal friend.

The first time Jeany Christensen, 38, who is from the Philippines, saw President Hinckley, she cried. She was "overwhelmed by the strength of his spirit," she said. She had similar feelings during the prophet's funeral.

"It was kind of sad, but happy at the same time," said Christensen, who moved to Orem three years ago. "You know he is finally going to be with his wife, but it is hard to know we won't see him anymore in this mortal life. I know that I am going to miss him."

Although Tuua Amosa, 53, who lives in Taylorsville, said she will miss the vibrant leader, she said she was grateful to have the opportunity to attend the funeral. For her, the funeral provided a long-awaited chance to thank the prophet for the good that he did for her native country, Samoa, by building a temple on the island.

"It's expensive for our people — my family — to travel, so to have the temple there means so much," she said. "I looked forward to coming here today to show him respect. He taught me a lot of good things. He has inspired my life."