Marjorie Pay Hinckley

As beloved and universally liked as President Gordon B. Hinckley is, it is generally understood by all who know him that he wouldn't be who he is today were it not for Marjorie Pay Hinckley, his wife of 66 years. He has called her the lodestar of their family. Her gentle ways, her faith, intelligence and sparkling sense of humor have guided her children and her husband.

President Hinckley's companion through "storm and sunshine," she died at home Tuesday afternoon, a mere two days after President Hinckley said publicly at the end of the semi-annual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that she was ailing.

Her death will be mourned by church members and friends of the church worldwide. Her life will be celebrated for generations.

President Hinckley said of his wife during conference, "We've walked together, side by side, all these many years, co-equals and companions through storm and sunshine." Theirs has been a remarkable life of service. The Hinckleys have five children, 25 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. But their influence has been, and continues to be, felt far beyond their immediate family. Together they have touched people in all continents of the globe.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley knew how to lighten a load with humor. Often, she would say, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it." As a couple, they played off each other, delighting everyone in their presence. She was fond of saying of her situation as wife of the church's president, "How did a nice girl like me get in a mess like this?" And yet, their situation was hardly a mess. It was a match that not only worked as a marriage, it enriched and uplifted the entire world.

Beyond her ability to keep a sense of humor, Sister Hinckley also taught by example that life is a never-ending quest for knowledge. She read voraciously and encouraged her children to do the same. On family vacations, she would pass the time by reading to them from the classics. She was always learning and always teaching, and despite having her own formal education cut short by the Great Depression, she was able to converse effortlessly with dignitaries and heads of state, as well as with the ordinary people of the world in all areas.

And she loved the Lord. Her mother taught her to find someone to marry who also loved the Lord. She didn't have to look far. Her future husband was a member of her ward.

As Sister Hinckley told the audience assembled at the 1998 Governor's Marriage Enrichment Conference, "I am very grateful for a husband who always lets me do my own thing. . . . He never insists that I do anything his way, or any way for that matter. From the very beginning he gave me space and let me fly. What a man!"

And what a woman she was — an example whose faith, testimony, love, dedication and good humor will endure and continue to touch lives through the ages.