Pres. Faust's loving public persona was just the same as his private one

Strong yet unassuming, quiet but wise, President James E. Faust's public persona was the same as his private one: a loving, personable and supportive man who never sought the limelight but was always seeking ways to better serve God and his family.

That's according to his biographer, James Bell, who said that, during a year of weekly meetings with the LDS leader, one thing that shone through all of his conversations, interactions and personal journals was his deep love for his wife, Ruth, who was "uppermost in his mind at all times."

Theirs was "one of the great untold love stories in the church," he said.

A call from Sister Faust was no mere distraction during his workday, according to Bell, whose book, "In the Strength of the Lord: The Life and Teachings of James E. Faust," was published in 1999. During their weekly interviews in researching the book, they were interrupted only by three people: "other members of the First Presidency and Sister Faust. If there was a need there, she was put through.

"You talk about families coming first, and for him, that was really true.... I've watched some men take calls from their wives where there is a little bit of a sense of, 'I'm at work, what do you need?' With her, he was so loving and caring. He would literally light up when the phone would ring and he knew it was Ruth. You could see the joy of hearing from her on his face."

Bell recalled interviewing Sister Faust one day when her husband came home in the middle of the interview. "The two of them looked like newlyweds in greeting each other." At social events, if he lost sight of her, "he wanted to find her to know she was OK."

Having seen it personally, Bell said it's difficult to convey in words the love they shared. "When he wasn't at the office or attending church duties, he was at home with his family," contacting his children and grandchildren regularly. "He made time for that. He walked the walk."

That deep love for his wife and family was reflected in his relationships with members of the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In writing the biography, Bell said, the respect and love his colleagues felt for President Faust shone through during interviews. Soon after he became a member of the Council of the Twelve, "when it came time for their Thursday morning meetings in the temple, a few of the other council members would kind of gravitate to his office, and they would walk over together.