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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaks at a news conference regarding a change in the age requirement for missionary service.

Photo supplied, Intellectual Reserve

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Patricia, acknowledge attendees at the end of the afternoon session of the 192nd semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland urged hope during the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke April 5, 2020, during the 190th annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gives the keynote speech at BYU's annual conference for faculty and staff Aug. 23, 2021.

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President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gives an air kiss to conferencegoers at the conclusion of the morning session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

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President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gives the first speech during the Saturday morning session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on April 5, 2025.

Photo supplied, Intellectual Reserve

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Jeffrey R. Holland, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Saturday. He was 85.

“With heavy hearts, we announce that President Jeffrey R. Holland, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at approximately 3:15 a.m. MST from complications associated with kidney disease, while surrounded by his family,” the church said in a release Saturday morning.

Tributes flowed in from church and other leaders:

Said President Dallin H. Oaks, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a statement posted on X:

“I grieve the passing of President Jeffrey R. Holland. Our relationship in education and Church service began more than 50 years ago. It was a long and loving relationship in the work of the Lord. During my service as President of Brigham Young University, I had the privilege of inviting him–then a young scholar in his early 30s–to serve as Dean of Religious Education. From the beginning, his influence strengthened the university’s sacred mission to unite spiritual purpose with academic excellence. Over the last three decades as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he lifted the weary, encouraged the faithful, and bore a powerful witness of the Savior–even through seasons of significant personal trials. We honor his unwavering devotion, his steadfast witness of the Savior, and his inspired ability to strengthen faith and deepen understanding. We thank our Father in Heaven for the blessing of shared service and for our united witness that Jesus Christ lives and directs His Church today.”

Said Utah Governor Spencer Cox on X:

“Abby and I join all who mourn the passing of our dear friend, President Jeffrey R. Holland, a man of faith, generosity, and love. Elder Holland was a teacher of souls, a friend to the weary, and a steadfast voice of hope in our church and across the world. For decades, he lifted hearts with his powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. We will miss him greatly. His legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched and the example he set. We take comfort in knowing that Elder Holland is reunited with his beloved Pat. Our prayers are with their family and all who loved them.”

Said Congressman Blake Moore, who represents Utah’s first district, on X:

“While sad to wake up to the news of Elder Jeffrey Holland’s passing, it’s fitting that this happened at a time when we celebrate the Savior’s birth. No one’s words have brought me closer to Christ than Elder Holland’s. Jane and I join so many in honoring his legacy and wish his family comfort at this time.”

Said Utah Senator Mike Lee on X:

“It is with deep gratitude for a life of service and sacrifice that Sharon and I mourn the passing of President Jeffrey R. Holland–a beloved leader, teacher, and unwavering witness of Jesus Christ. His powerful testimony, deep compassion, and tireless service blessed countless lives in Southern Utah, at BYU, throughout the United States, and around the world. May his family, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and all who mourn his passing find comfort in the Savior and His amazing grace, about which President Holland so eloquently and sincerely testified.”

Said Utah Senator John Curtis on X:

“I’m saddened to learn of the passing of President Jeffrey Holland. He dedicated his life to faith, education, and service both as a leader and as an educator whose influence extended well beyond Utah. His decades of spiritual guidance, commitment to community, and compassionate leadership touched countless lives. I join many in and outside our faith in extending heartfelt condolences to President Holland’s family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The church announced President Holland had been hospitalized on Christmas Eve.

“President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is currently hospitalized for treatment related to ongoing health complications,” a statement posted on the social media platform X read. “He is receiving expert care and is with loved ones during this Christmas holiday. President Holland and his family express gratitude for the many prayers offered on his behalf and extend greetings of faith and peace during this season that commemorates the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Considered by many church members to be a “favorite” speaker from the leadership of the church, Holland was also considered a regular guy that not only loved all people, but loved sports, music, his family, Brigham Young University and his beloved birthplace, St. George.

According to biographical information on the church’s website, Holland was born Dec. 3, 1940, to Frank D. and Alice Bentley Holland.

Holland attended Dixie High School and Dixie College in St. George and was a student leader and varsity athlete. He went on to receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and religious education, respectively, from Brigham Young University. He also attended Yale University, where he obtained master’s and doctor of philosophy degrees in American Studies.

Holland served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Great Britain from 1960-62 and was married and sealed to Patricia Terry in the St. George Utah Temple in 1963. The two went on to form a family with three children: Matthew, Mary Alice and David.

Holland was ordained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church on June 23, 1994. He had previously been serving as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, to which he was called on April 1, 1989. Holland served as the ninth president of BYU from 1980 until he was called as a General Authority in 1989. He was also a former commissioner of the church’s global education system and former dean of Religious Education at BYU.

According to Holland’s profile on the church’s website, he “served as president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU), on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and as a member of the Presidents Commission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).”

He was given the Torch of Liberty award by the Anti-Defamation League due to his work improving understanding between Christians and Jews.

Holland’s history also includes serving on the governing boards of civic- and business-related corporations and authoring 14 books.

Holland became the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Nov. 15, 2023, following the death of M. Russell Ballard and became the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Oct. 14 following the death of President Russell M. Nelson.

Holland had many inspiring childhood experiences. One was when he was 6 years old when his grandfather was very sick.

One day the stake patriarch came to visit Holland’s grandfather and asked all the grown-ups to kneel around the bed in a circle and take turns saying a prayer. Holland was the only one in the room who was not a grown-up, but the patriarch asked him to say a prayer, too.

Holland had given family prayers, like blessing the food and praying before bed, but he had never prayed with grown-ups like this before.

He was a little frightened, but he said a prayer for his grandfather. Later his grandfather got well, and everyone was thankful for this blessing. The patriarch told Holland that his grandfather had been healed mostly because of Holland’s sincere and humble prayer.

Holland never forgot that experience and prayer became very important to him from that day on.

Holland said his greatest joy is to testify of Jesus Christ wherever he goes and to everyone he serves for as long as he lives.

His life was exemplary but not always easy. In his October 2013 conference talk “Like a Broken Vessel,” he spoke of depression.

“In that regard I once terrifyingly saw it in myself. At one point in our married life when financial fears collided with staggering fatigue, I took a psychic blow that was as unanticipated as it was real,” Holland said. “With the grace of God and the love of my family, I kept functioning and kept working, but even after all these years I continue to feel a deep sympathy for others more chronically or more deeply afflicted with such gloom than I was.”

Holland delivered a number of memorable general conference addresses in his time as an apostle. Some of the more popular ones include a talk titled “Broken Things to Mend,” “The Ministry of Angels,” “None Were with Him,” “Are We Not All Beggars,” “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You,” “Not as the World Giveth,” “Fear Not: Believe Only” and “The Greatest Possession.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holland said he took extra time studying the scriptures and learning more about his neighbors and shared his feelings on Facebook videos and comments.

Holland’s health took a turn in 2023 due to COVID-19. He did not attend any of the sessions of the April 2023 general conference, and a statement was made regarding his health on April 6, 2023.

“As announced last weekend, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was excused from general conference due to the fact he and Sister Patricia Holland are both suffering from the effects of COVID,” church officials said in the release. “Elder Holland also recently began dialysis for a kidney condition. Consequently, the First Presidency has excused him from all Church assignments and meetings for at least two months to allow his medical treatments and recovery to take full effect. Elder and Sister Holland note that they are very grateful for all the prayers and outpouring of support offered in their behalf at this time.”

Patricia Holland died on July 10, 2023, at the age of 81.

An update on Holland’s health was provided on Aug. 3, 2023.

“Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is currently hospitalized for observation and treatment of ongoing health complications,” church officials said in the release. “Elder Holland is grateful for the many prayers offered in his behalf in recent weeks for his health and during this time of mourning. He sincerely appreciates the well-wishes and kindnesses shown by friends and members of the Church who know and care for him and his family.”

Church officials announced on Sept. 10, 2023, that Holland was “recuperating at home” following “an extended hospital stay.” Holland missed the October 2023 general conference but returned as a speaker in the April 2024 general conference, where he delivered a memorable talk titled “Motions of a Hidden Fire” to begin the conference’s first session.

As only Holland could, he began his remarks with humor.

“Brothers and sisters, I have learned a painful lesson since I last occupied this pulpit in October of 2022,” he said. “That lesson is: If you don’t give an acceptable talk, you can be banned for the next several conferences. You can see I am assigned early in the first session of this one. What you can’t see is that I am positioned on a trapdoor with a very delicate latch. If this talk doesn’t go well, I won’t see you for another few conferences.”

In his talk, he paid tribute to his wife, who he called “the greatest woman I have ever known — a perfect wife and mother, to say nothing of her purity, her gift of expression, her spirituality.”

He continued:

“She gave a talk once titled ‘Fulfilling the measure of your creation.’ It seems to me that she fulfilled the measure of her creation more successfully than anyone could have dreamed possible. She was a complete daughter of God, an exemplary woman of Christ. I was the most fortunate of men to spend 60 years of my life with her. Should I prove worthy, our sealing means I can spend eternity with her.”

He went on to describe an “acute medical crisis” that put him in the hospital just two days after his wife’s burial. He would be in the hospital for six weeks, he said, the first four of which were spent “in and out of intensive care and in and out of consciousness.”

Holland proceeded to discuss in descriptive detail what happened next.

“Virtually all my experience in the hospital during that first period is lost to my memory,” he said. “What is not lost is my memory of a journey outside the hospital, out to what seemed the edge of eternity. I cannot speak fully of that experience here, but I can say that part of what I received was an admonition to return to my ministry with more urgency, more consecration, more focus on the Savior, more faith in His word. …

“My beloved sisters and brothers, since that experience, I have tried to take up my cross more earnestly, with more resolve to find where I can raise an apostolic voice of both warmth and warning in the morning, during the day, and into the night.”

He went on to discuss the significance of prayer and implored the members of the church to make eternal life a greater priority.

“Against that backdrop of Christ’s victory over death and His recent gift to me of a few more weeks or months in mortality, I bear solemn witness of the reality of eternal life and the need for us to be serious in our planning for it,” he said.

“I bear witness that when Christ comes, He needs to recognize us — not as nominal members listed on a faded baptismal record but as thoroughly committed, faithfully believing, covenant-keeping disciples. This is an urgent matter for all of us, lest we ever hear with devastating regret: ‘I never knew you,’ or, as Joseph Smith translated that phrase, ‘[You] never knew me.’

Holland returned again to speak in the October 2024 general conference and also spoke at the April and October general conferences this year.

For all his admirers, Holland took a few blows. In August 2021, he made comments during a BYU faculty and staff meeting about musket fire.

He was speaking to the faculty in pleading with them to be supportive of the church’s doctrinal stand on the family and particularly same-sex attraction but other issues and policies as well.

He quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell and President Dallin H. Oaks who both referred to musket use in former talks at the school. Oaks said, “I would like to see more musket fire from the temple of learning.”

Standing by those remarks, Holland garnered numerous social media comments and condemnations.

Holland added on the subject of same sex attraction that the brethren have wept and prayed and wept again over the situation and that he looked for the day when swords would be beat into plow shears. He called for balance but for faculty and staff to uphold church policy and doctrine.

“If a student commandeers the podium at a graduation to announce his sexual orientation, what’s next, more divisiveness?” he said.

“I have shed more tears on this topic and spent hours on what the church can provide on this issue.”

Holland was selected to give the commencement speech at Southern Utah University in March 2023, but because of his remarks at BYU, “dozens of students, donned in pride gear and flags, joined in a walk-out at Southern Utah University … in protest” of the decision, according to an ABC4 news report.

“Petitions have surfaced online, one asking that Elder Holland be removed as commencement speaker and another that he stays,” the ABC4 report stated.

In talks following his words to the BYU faculty, Holland was unrestrained in sharing his love for the LGBTQ community and claimed he has wept for and with them on the church policies and doctrine.

Despite the controversy, Holland will be remembered for many accomplishments, his global hand of love to all people, his love of the Jewish people and the Holy Land and his undying commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the Atonement and the eternal family through temple covenants.

BRIANA SCROGGINS/Standard-Examiner

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gets his COVID-19 vaccination Jan. 19,2021.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, center right, is joined by other Latter-day Saint leaders to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Provo City Center Temple on Saturday, May 12, 2012, in Provo, Utah. Over 6,000 attendees packed the park before him to witness the historical moment.