Six new temple presidents have been called by the First Presidency, with their wives called as matrons. They will begin service soon.
Elder Daryl H. Garn, 70, Fairway Groves Ward, Mesa Arizona Alta Mesa Stake, called as president of the Mesa Arizona Temple, succeeding President Ezra T. Clark Jr. President Garn's wife, Irene Hall Garn, will serve as temple matron. President Garn is a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. He has previously served as an Area Seventy, regional representative, stake president, stake president's counselor and bishop. A retired orthodontist, he was born in Tremonton, Utah, to Uel A. and Lolita Hodges Garn.
Sister Garn has served as a ward Relief Society president, ward Young Women president, enrichment leader, achievement day leader, ward choir director and temple ordinance worker. She was born in Tremonton, Utah, to Harold Ephraim and Vera Lavon Gibbs Hall.
Kari Juhani Aslak Haikkola, 73, Espoo 2nd Ward, Helsinki Finland Stake, called as president of the Helsinki Finland Temple, succeeding President Melvin J. Luthy. President Haikkola's wife, Auli Anita Nurmi Haikkola, will serve as temple matron. President Haikkola is a sealer and ordinance worker in the Helsinki Finland Temple. He has served as the Church's national public affairs director for Finland, regional representative, stake president and as a mission president's counselor. The retired president of Admets Oy, he was born in Helsinki, Finland, to Karl Johan and Anna Teresia Teikari Haikkola.
Sister Haikkola is a temple ordinance worker. She has served as a ward Relief Society president and counselor, ward Primary president and seminary teacher. She was born in Turku, Finland, to Helge Keijo Matias and Taimi Regina Lepp?en Nurmi.
Tohru Hotta, 70, Gokiso Ward, Nagoya Japan Stake, called as president of the Tokyo Japan Temple, succeeding President Masayuki Nakano. President Nakano's wife, Sachiko Tagawa Hotta, will serve as temple matron. President Hotta has served as an Area Seventy, president of the Japan Sapporo Mission, district council, stake president, bishop, ward mission leader and temple ordinance worker. A retired CES regional coordinator and institute director for the Nagoya, Japan, region, he was born in Onyu-gun, Fukui-ken, Japan, to Sakuo and Utako Toyoda Hotta.
Sister Hotta is a ward Sunday School teacher. She served with her husband while he presided over the Japan Sapporo Mission. She also served as a stake Relief Society president, ward Relief Society president and seminary teacher. She was born in Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, to Tsurumatsu Tagawa and Teru Ueda.
Lennis Morland Knighton, 73, Mount Mahogany 2nd Ward, Pleasant Grove Utah Mount Mahogany Stake, called as president of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple, succeeding President Pedro Brassanini. President Knighton's wife, Peggy Lee Thayne Knighton, will serve as temple matron. President Knighton is a high councilor and temple ordinance worker. He has served as president of the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission, high priests group leader, branch president, bishop's counselor and gospel doctrine teacher. A retired professor from Brigham Young University, he was born in Moore, Idaho, to Charles Morland and Artella Jensen Knighton.
Sister Knighton is a temple ordinance worker. She served with her husband as he presided over the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. She has also served as a stake Relief Society president and counselor, gospel doctrine teacher, and a counselor in a ward Relief Society and Young Women presidencies. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Harold G. and Lorraine Haynie Thayne.
Jorge Mendez Ibarra, 72, Insurgentes Ward, Tijuana Mexico Insurgentes Stake, called as president of the Villahermosa Mexico Temple, succeeding President Vicente I. Mederos Sanchez. President Mendez' wife, Bertha Elena Tamayo de Mendez, will serve as temple matron. President Mendez is a counselor in the Ciudad Juarez Mexico Temple presidency. A released Area Seventy, he previously served as president of the Mexico Chihuahua Mission, mission president's counselor, regional representative and stake president. The retired owner of an automobile repair shop, he was born in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, to Juan and Catalina Ibarra de Mendez.
Sister Mendez is an assistant to the matron of the Ciudad Juarez Mexico Temple. She served with her husband as he presided over the Mexico Chihuahua Mission and on a family history mission. She also served as a ward Relief Society president, Primary teacher and Relief Society secretary. She was born in Cosala, Sinaloa, Mexico, to Tamayo Quintero Guillermo and Padilla Hernandez Engracia.
Douglas Max Robinson, 60, Mapleton 13th Ward, Mapleton Utah Stake, called as president of the Aba Nigeria Temple, succeeding President B. Taylor Harper. President Robinson's wife, Carol Ann Hatch Robinson, will serve as temple matron. President Robinson currently serves as a counselor in the Aba Nigeria Temple presidency. He has previously served as a stake president's counselor, high councilor, bishop, high priests group leader and ward Young Men president. A retired superintendent for the Division of Wildlife Resources, State of Utah, he was born in Tucson, Ariz., to Max Edward and Eva Crandall Robinson.
Sister Robinson is an assistant to the matron of the Aba Nigeria Temple. She has served as a stake Relief Society president, ward Relief Society president and counselor, ward Young Women president and counselor and Sunday School teacher. She was born in Salina, Utah, to Dee Barlow and Berneal Nelson Hatch.
