Reader comments
Elder Wirthlin's son recalls apostle's life, love of U.

"The University of Utah lost one of its most ardent football fans with the death of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin late Monday night."

What an amazing description of such a great man!

I was on a Delta airlines flight and Elder Wirthlin was sitting across from me. Upon recognizing him I blurted out how he was a General Authority."Youre right.Last time I checked" as he smiled in response.The rest of the conversation was everything except him. How was my trip? Family? Sports. Church.Very much willing to engage in dialogue and not display he took himself too seriously in the process.Beautiful kind benevolent man...

Elder Wirthlin was a die hard Ute fan. He was always at the spring game as well. I know Shelly and Urban Meyer are also close friends with Elder Wirthlin. He was a great father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, and a Utah Man.

You will be missed

I saw Elder Wirthlin leave the game being assisted in his wheel chair and I thought to myself, "That is a great example of living life to its fullest, a man of God and a Ute!" May I live as long and as faithful!

Yes, he was a Ute fan which is great. Of course, most of the older General Authorities were at a time when there was a choice between University of Utah and Brigham Young Academy -- or shortly after the change from Brigham Young Academy. He attended and played for the University of Utah over 70 years ago.
Give BYU another 40 years to see what rate of General Authorities are Utah fans and which are BYU fans. Then you should let us know if all the General Authorities are Ute fans. Right now it's not really fair, but then I guess it's not supposed to be fair. Notice I didn't write it in the SL Tribune's article!

I'm pretty sure on the things that were most important "Ute fan" wouldn't scratch the surface of what was important about him.

"BYU Fan" and "Stop" are examples of the few adolescent, jealous, whiney BYU fans that will never acknowledge anything good could ever come out of the University of Utah.

Elder Wirthlin was an Apostle of the Lord, and an avid Utah fan.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

The Ute haters and anti-Mormon BYU haters should keep that in mind and try to follow Elder Wirthlin's example of being an avid fan and a good sport.

Utah Alum / BYU Fan

Amen.

I JOKINGLY respond to those BYU alumni who refer to their alma mater SERIOUSLY as the Lord's University, that if one only reviews the alumni lists of each school for the names of general authorities it is very clear which of the two institutions is the Lord's University. And it isn't Blue & White....Yet.

Best wishes to the Wirthlin family in their time of joy and grief.

Except for his choice of colors. This reassures me that even prophets and apostles are not yet perfect. ;)

In all seriousness, my condolences to the Wirthlin family. May the spirit comfort you during this time. Elder Wirthlin was always a highlight speaker for me during conference weekend. His last talk was an instant classic.

So many positive lessons for us here.
- enduring to the end
- teaching our children correct principles
- finding the 'peace' that the Gospel brings
- death is but a gateway to future happiness
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to face death with the level of confidence and faith that Elder Wirthlin displayed. The truth is - we can - like him, we just have to pay the price. Is it worth it?

Elder Wirthlin: A true Apostle of the Lord. You will be missed.

I have enjoyed listening to my father's story of when he and Elder Wirthlin served togrther on their mission in Switzerland. One Thanksgiving the Elders bought a turkey and gave it to a member to cook. Elder Wirthlin got 10 Elders together and they played football in the rain. After the game, although the turkey wasn't cooked properly, the Elders ate it with gusto.

Auf Wiedersehen, Elder Wirthlin. You have made a great difference in my heart. Thank you.

I will miss your dear sweet sermons. You always touched my soul.

Auf Wiedersehen is correct. I too will miss your wise counsel. May the Lord provide comfort to your family. Thank you for your fine example.

I loved Elder Wirthlin and will miss him so at General Conference. I loved his talk this last General Conference Ensign "Come what may and love it", I used this as my Visiting Teaching lesson for the month of November and my Visiting Teachers used it also when they taught me. I always loved his sound, simple advice. May God Bless his family, I was so touched when I read that they took turns staying the night with him for years since his wife's death.

I have always enjoyed Elder Wirthlin's talks at general conference. "Come What May, and Love It," which was the last one he presented, was especially inspiring. In fact, our Relief Society presidency here in Burpengary, Australia, suggested this address as the one for the Visiting Teaching Message in November. I enjoyed sharing his counsel with the sisters on how we can face adversity through learning to laugh, seeking for the eternal, understanding the principle of compensation, and trusting in the Father and the Son. He is now with his beloved wife and the mother whose teachings he honoured through that wonderful talk in October's conference. I will miss this great and noble servant of God.

He is lost to us for now, but not lost to the Eternities. He is where he belongs.

He was a gift to us, nothing more. Live by his teachings and be grateful for his guidance.

Thanks for all Brother Wirthlin. A true mentor and example to us all. This is the caliber of man I hope to become. Your legacy inspires us all to be better men and women.

See you soon,

Bill

Brother Wirthlin will truly be missed, but not forgotten. He was a fine example of how we all should be living our lives. May he enjoy his reunion with his lovely wife is my prayer!