Thomas S. Monson was the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For a list of the presidents of the church and links to their gravesites click here.
This site is located in the Salt Lake City Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.
THOMAS S. MONSON
1927-2018
This religious and civic leader, husband, father, and good Samaritan was born in Salt Lake City on August 21, 1927. He grew up on the west side of the city, the second of six children. In 1944, he enrolled at the University of Utah where he met his future wife, Frances Beverly Johnson. This was the beginning of his lifelong love of the University. After serving for a short time with the US Navy, he graduated cum laude in 1948 from the School of Business with a degree in marketing and a minor in economics.
Shortly after graduating, he married Frances in 1948. They are the parents of three children, with eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
He taught courses for the University of Utah’s College of Business and was later awarded the University of Utah’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1966 and an Honorary Doctor of Business in 2007. In 2009 he was honored as the distinguished University of Utah Fan of the Game during a game against Air Force. He also obtained an MBA and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Brigham Young University.
Called as a leader for his religious congregation at age 22, he spent his life ministering to the needs of others. He was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1963, at the age of 36, and became the sixteenth president of the Church in 2008.
Thomas S. Monson served in a number of civic and professional capacities, on the board of many local businesses, the Utah State Board of Higher Education, the Utah State Board of Regents, and as a member of the Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives appointed by President Ronald Reagan. He also served as a member of the National Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America for 48 years.
Thomas S. Monson will be remembered as one of the most influential leaders of our time because he led by love and example. His life, leadership, and vision played a significant role in the development of both a global religion and a local community. Those who knew him well recognized him as a warm, genuine, man of action and faith, who devoted his life to lifting others. – From the Thomas S. Monson Center
