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Joseph B. Wirthlin, 1917-2008 / North Ogden daughter remembers how much her dad loved her mom
By JaNae FrancisSALT LAKE CITY -- The LDS Church is mourning the death of its oldest apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, who died Monday night.
Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reportedly died at home of age-related causes.
He had been a member of the quorum, the church's second tier of leadership, since Oct. 9, 1986, about a decade after being called into full-time church service.
Wirthlin was 91, but those who remember him fondly do not recall him ever drawing attention to his increasing feebleness.
"Even when things were shutting down, he was always positive," said Dan Litchford, a South Ogden resident who is a member of the Northern Utah public affairs council for the church.
"He never left us with a bad feeling."
Becky Gerritsen, of North Ogden, is Wirthlin's fifth of eight children who, as they grew up, watched him pursue early morning scripture study, 12-hour days at the Wirthlin Wholesale Meat Market and church service into the night.
Tuesday, the 30-year area resident was remembering her father's many qualities.
"We will miss his sense of humor, his spirituality, his deep love for the Savior, his strong testimony of the restoration, and we'll remember his example for years to come, I'm sure," Gerritsen said.
"My dad is a wonderful person," she said.
"He never spoke ill of others. He and my mother, I don't think, ever had an argument. They had what you would consider a perfect relationship.
"When she passed, he really grieved. He really missed her. That's something not a lot of people can say they have."
Since about that time, Gerritsen has spent a few days a week helping to care for her father in his Salt Lake City home.
She said even though he could not do everything for himself, Wirthlin remained a joy to be around.
"He made us laugh. He was always funny. He always was appreciative of what we did for him."
Gerritsen remembers with fondness a day in her childhood when her father had installed an extra phone line for the teenagers in the home.
She said Wirthlin called one line from the other and, acting like he was a boy wanting a date, asked for her younger sister.
"She didn't know it was him," she said. "Some of us did. We laughed."
A year ago in June, Gerritsen attended a tribute to her father that drew more than 100 people from all around the world.
The people had been members of Wirthlin's Bonneville Ward when he was the bishop.
Part-time Ogden Valley resident Steve Mecham recalls Wirthlin's football stories from his University of Utah days with pride.
Mecham's father, Milt, was playing football with Wirthlin, who was then a fullback, the day their team made an infamous kick to Byron R. "Whizzer" White, who was playing football for the University of Colorado in the late 1930s and later became an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
"He said the coach told Joseph Wirthlin and Milt Mecham, 'Don't kick to Byron White,' " Mecham said. "And they kicked the ball right to him, and he ran all the way back for a touchdown."
That big game was a big loss for the University of Utah all-conference players.
Mecham said Wirthlin recalled that moment as an end to his football fame while White went on to play in the National Football League.
Mecham said Wirthlin recounted that touchdown in a General Conference address a decade or so ago and again at his father's funeral in 1998, when he spoke along with Elder Russell M. Nelson, also a member of the church's Twelve Apostles.
Milt Mecham had served as the Ogden temple president, among other church callings, to warrant such a recognizable lineup of speakers.
Mecham said he first met his father's college friend in 1987 when he was called by Wirthlin to be interviewed for a calling as mission president to Finland and Russia, where he'd served a full-time mission from 1958 to 1961.
When Mecham told Wirthlin, who was then presiding over European missions, that he'd already been to Finland and Russia, he said the church general authority gave him a humorous response.
"He said, 'You're going back until you get it right,' " Mecham said.
After that mission with his wife, Mecham again had the opportunity of working with Wirthlin, who trained him for his service as a stake president.
Since then, Wirthlin had consistently tried to keep in contact with Mecham's 92-year-old mother, who lives in Bountiful, Mecham said.
"Even though he was well along in years, Elder Wirthlin was always concerned more with others than himself," Mecham said.
Wirthlin's other church posts included serving as a counselor to the Sunday school president, director of the church military relations committee, director of the church curriculum department and editor of church magazines.
He also led church operations in continental Europe, Britain, Ireland and Africa.
In a statement, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye Huntsman, offered condolences to Wirthlin's family.
The governor, a member of the LDS Church, calls Wirthlin an example of service to others.
"We join with so many others touched by his words and deeds, in remembering his service to his community and church," Huntsman said.
"He will be remembered for his sincere heart and ability to laugh with those around him."
Sen. Orrin Hatch said he admired Wirthlin's "humble, compassionate way of addressing issues of great importance, to not only members of our faith but to people from all walks of life and from all over the world."
In his secular life, Wirthlin was president of a family-run wholesale food-distribution business. He was also president of a business and trade association in Utah.
Wirthlin married Elisa Young Rogers Wirthlin on May 26, 1941, in the Salt Lake Temple. She died in 2006.
Services are planned for noon Friday in the Salt Lake City Tabernacle.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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