[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 4 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S59-S60]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Remembering Thomas S. Monson

  Madam President, I wish to devote the remainder of my remarks to 
honoring the memory of a dear friend, President Thomas S. Monson, a 
beloved leader whose love for God and his fellow man defined a lifetime 
of selfless service. President Monson passed away quietly last week, 
with friends and family gathered by his bedside.
  Today, I join millions across the globe in mourning the loss of an 
extraordinary man whom, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints, we have long looked upon as a prophet, seer, and 
revelator. I also wish to extend my deepest sympathies to President 
Monson's family, especially his children--Thomas, Ann, and Clark. 
Although we are saddened by President Monson's passing, we take comfort 
in knowing that he has been reunited with his wife Frances, his 
lifelong friend and eternal companion.
  President Monson was born in Salt Lake City in 1927 to G. Spencer 
Monson and Gladys Condie Monson. Growing up during the Great 
Depression, young Tom was greatly influenced by his parents, who taught 
him the importance of taking care of others. From an early age, Tom 
displayed a remarkable concern for the most vulnerable among us, and 
throughout his life, he showed that concern and worked on solving 
problems for them.
  When Tom was just a boy, he had two beloved pet rabbits, to which he 
tended every day, but when he heard of a destitute family in his 
neighborhood, a family so down on their luck that they had nothing to 
eat for Christmas dinner, Tom did what few little boys would ever do: 
He gave his two pet rabbits to his neighbors so they could have a nice 
Christmas meal. Yet, when little Tommy returned home to see his empty 
rabbit hutch, tears filled his eyes, but these were tears of gratitude 
for the joy he had felt in helping others. Selflessness, service, and 
sacrifice--these would soon become the virtues by which Thomas Monson 
lived his life, and everybody who knew him knows that.
  Following graduation from West High School, President Monson attended 
the University of Utah, where he met Frances Johnson during his 
freshman year. Around the same time, he joined the U.S. Navy and served 
in the waning days of World War II. After the war, he graduated cum 
laude from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in business 
management. Shortly thereafter, he married Frances in the Salt Lake 
Temple.
  Following graduation, President Monson was hired by the Deseret News 
to work in the paper's advertising department. He worked in various 
positions for the newspaper and eventually became the general manager 
of the Deseret Press.
  As he was just beginning his professional career, President Monson 
was called at the exceptionally young age of 22 to be a bishop of a 
Mormon congregation. That hardly ever happens in the LDS Church. In 
this position, he was charged with leading a congregation of more than 
1,000 members. Then, at the age of 31, Tom was again called to a 
leadership position typically reserved for older men when he was asked 
to serve as president of the LDS mission in Canada and preside over a 
whole raft of young missionaries. When he was only 36, Tom was called 
as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, among the most 
influential positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints. In 2008, he was sustained as president of the church, 
overseeing the day-to-day operations of a faith with millions of 
followers. The church witnessed record growth during his tenure as 
president, with more than 2 million men and women joining the ranks of 
converts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  Whether as a prophet, as an apostle, as a mission president, or as a 
friend, President Monson simply took care of people. One particular 
story stands out among the rest. When he was a young bishop, there were 
84 widows in his congregation. During the Christmas holiday, he would 
visit each and every one of them, ensuring that they were all provided 
with a good holiday meal. Even after President Monson was released as 
bishop, he continued to stay in contact with each one of these widows--
writing letters, making phone calls, and frequently visiting them in 
their homes. In fact, President Monson remained so close with each of 
these 84 widows that he eventually spoke at all of their funerals. That 
is a real record.
  President Monson's example of intimate, individual ministry 
underscored what was most remarkable about his leadership. Although he 
presided over a church of millions, his focus was always on the one. 
Although tasked with

[[Page S60]]

making administrative decisions affecting thousands of people the world 
over, his lifelong commitment was to serving individuals in need. 
Although an expert manager, he was first and foremost a disciple of 
Jesus Christ, a man of remarkable kindness, unwavering love, and 
preternatural empathy.
  President Monson was a servant first and a leader second. Endless are 
the stories in which he would drop everything, sometimes even leaving 
church meetings early over which he was presiding, to visit a grieving 
widow, bless a sickly child, or minister to a family in need. Both on 
macro and micro levels, President Monson was intimately involved in 
building up the Kingdom of God, and he was perhaps the greatest living 
example of Christ's admonition to find the one lost sheep who has gone 
astray and take him back to the fold.
  Of President Monson's boundless charity, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin 
once said:

       Tom has given everything to [those in need], including the 
     shirt off his back. I mean it! I've seen him give away his 
     suits and his shirts and his shoes.

  President Monson was among the greatest men I have ever known. 
Service was his motto and humility his hallmark. Countless were the 
lives he touched as a prophet, father, and friend. He emulated Jesus 
Christ in every particular, helping all of us draw closer to God by 
drawing all of us closer to each other.
  I am so grateful for the life of my dear friend and for the example 
he left for everyone to follow. He was a friend of mine. He showed me 
great friendship and at times stood up for me. I will never forget one 
time he leaned over to me and said: ``I vote for you.'' That meant so 
much to me. All I can say is that having his vote was very important to 
me. The man was one of the greatest men I have ever met on this Earth--
a man of humility, a man of effort, a man of distinction, a man of love 
and compassion, a man who really knew how to work with other people, a 
man who loved his fellow men and women, a man who worked in a 
consecrated manner all the days of his life for Jesus Christ and his 
ministry. I am going to personally miss him. I believe that his imprint 
on not just the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--commonly 
nicknamed the Mormon Church--but around the world is going to be very 
difficult to ever forget.
  God bless the remaining family. I hope everything will go well with 
them. I intend to attend the funeral if I can and hopefully lend 
whatever I can to honoring one of the greatest men I have ever met in 
my life, and I have met a lot of really great men and women.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moran). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.