"Marjorie was 'the girl next door' when we were growing up," recalled Ramona H. Sullivan, President Hinckley's younger sister, in a church magazine interview. "Only in this case it was the girl across the street. And she was very pretty. The thing I remember most about Marge in those early years is how polished and impressive she was, even as a young girl, in giving readings and performances in the meetings and activities of our old 1st Ward. All the other kids would just sort of stand up and mumble through something. Marjorie was downright professional. She had all of the elocution and all of the movements. I still remember those readings she gave."

She started teaching Sunday School at age 17 and worked at church assignments throughout her life. She held every job in the Young Women organization and presided over the Primary and served in the presidency of the Relief Society.

While their five children were growing up, Sister Hinckley described her house as "Grand Central Station, with each member of the family busy with a full slate of activities and Mother trying to tie the schedules down to fairly regular family associations."

In between church assignments she shared with her husband, she found time not only for gardening but also for good books, taking a class or two at the University of Utah and teaching literary or social science lessons on a ward or stake basis for the Relief Society.

In February 1996, she received the Exemplary Womanhood Award from Brigham Young University. She received the Pioneer Heritage Award in July 1997 and the Distinguished Service to Humanity Award in April 1998. She also received the Utah Heritage Award from the Utah-California Women later that year.

In April 2001, she and her family were honored by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and a week later she and her husband received honorary doctorates from Utah Valley State College.

In April 2003, BYU established the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Chair in Social Work and Social Sciences. The chair was established to help the school focus on the family through research and education, to expand learning by lectures, to increase community involvement in family issues and to provide service.