With the recent death of 90-year-old Thomas Monson (president of the Mormon church for my non-Utah friends), I've seen several posts by friends and family sharing their reminiscences of the man. Since I lived around the corner from him growing up, I've known him my whole life. My favorite memory is when he attended and spoke at my mother's funeral in 2009. As the casket was being rolled into the chapel, President Monson was at the head of the procession and my dad and I were following immediately behind him. My dad broke away and walked up to President Monson and asked him earnestly if he would really see his wife again in the next life. Broke. My. Heart. President Monson assured my dad that indeed he would be reunited with his beloved Polly one day. I'll always be grateful for the kindness he showed to my grieving father.
The part of the story that I didn't mention in my Facebook post is how President Monson's wife, Frances, also attended the funeral. Frances arrived separately from her husband and upon seeing her, my sisters and I descended upon her - much too enthusiastically for this very shy woman. When my mother served as the ward Relief Society president during the 1960s, Frances Monson was one of her counselors. My mother ADORED Frances. My mother was a charming southern belle, but she didn't ADORE a lot of people outside of her family. I recall everyone was so impressed that President Monson attended and spoke at my mother's funeral, but for my sisters and I, Frances Monson was the real rock star attendee that day.
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