Elder Joseph Carl Muren, who served as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, passed away at his home in Layton, Utah, on July 27, 2009. He was 73.
Elder Muren served in many capacities in the Church, including: mission president of the San Jose Costa Rica Mission from 1977-80, temple sealer, counselor in a stake presidency, stake mission president, high councilor, stake Young Men president and bishop.
Elder Muren was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy in 1991. He served in the Presidency of the Europe Mediterranean Area and as president of the Central America Area. He was given an honorable release in 1996.
At the time of his call to the Seventy, he was director of temporal affairs for the Church in the British Isles. Prior to that he was an administrator in the Church Educational System in California and Utah and the Church's director of temporal affairs for Ireland and Africa. Before retiring, he again worked for the Church in the Human Resource Department.
Elder Muren met missionaries and joined the Church at age 21 while attending San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. He told the Church News about his conversion in an article published in 1991.
"The Spirit of God came into my body as a fire. … it left me physically exhausted but totally assured that the Church was true. Now I knew for myself.
"As the years have passed, I have recognized more fully that it was not just a spiritual experience of the moment, but rather I was the recipient of a testimony, a gift from Heavenly Father, that when nourished and cherished would have lasting effects upon me every day of my life."
Elder Muren was born Feb. 5, 1936, in Richmond, Calif., to Joseph F. and Alba Maria Cairo Muren. He grew up in San Francisco, where he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, an Italian immigrant who taught him a great respect for God and the importance of attending church.
A year after he was baptized, he served a mission to Argentina. Upon returning home, he earned a master's degree in history from San Jose State and a Ph. D. in education administration from the University of Southern California.
During his college years he met Gladys Smith, a student who was investigating the Church. She was baptized and a year later they were married in the Los Angeles Temple. They have six children and nine grandchildren.
He is remembered as a gifted teacher who showed students his love of teaching and learning from the scriptures.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, in Layton, Utah. Elder Charles Didier of the Seventy and Elder Claudio R.M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke and read a letter from the First Presidency honoring Elder Muren during the services. Also in attendance were Elder Spencer J. Condie and Elder Kenneth Johnson of the Seventy, and Bishops H. David Burton and Keith B. McMullin of the Presiding Bishopric.
