L. Tom Perry 1922 - 2015
“Elder Perry was ordained an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in April 1974, … Elder Perry’s commanding physical presence combined with his enthusiasm and optimistic style made him a forceful as well as a popular figure among Church members across the world.”
“We must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ,” Elder Perry taught … “We want others to know that we believe He is the central figure in all human history. His life and teachings are the heart of the Bible and the other books we consider to be holy scripture.”*
We had two interactions with Elder Perry. The first was not long after we were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We drove to the stake center in Reynoldsburg for our first stake conference, probably in early 1982. People were very excited because L. Tom Perry, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, was going to be there. We knew apostles were important in Christ’s day and the fact that this church had apostles was significant to us. We were still growing in understanding and appreciation of apostles and what they did in modern days.
Apostles are special witnesses of Christ. And that’s what Elder Perry did. I was serving with the children during part of the stake conference meetings – and that’s where Elder Perry was – with the children, testifying of Christ. I remember him sitting in a small chair in front of the children. That was quite a sight because he’s very tall. He held a picture of Christ and talked with the children about Jesus. I remember being impressed that of all the groups he could have taught during that time period, he chose to teach the children. Somehow I knew this man truly was an apostle of the Lord. It became real to me as I watched him and felt what he was doing and saying.
Our next encounter was decades later. Elder Perry came to Columbus in May 1995 for a regional meeting. I think it was held at the convention center in downtown Columbus. Elder and Sister Perry spoke at the conference. After the meeting we had an opportunity to talk with Elder and Sister Perry (stake presidencies and their spouses were seated on the stand). I was struck by how tall Elder Perry was. He was very friendly and easy to talk with. After the conference Elder and Sister Perry were driving to Dayton, Ohio to do family history research. Sister Perry’s family was from Dayton.
Elder Perry’s witness of Christ, his enthusiasm for the gospel, and his wonderful smile will long be remembered.
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