Author. Scholar. Athlete. Advocate. Husband. Father. Disciple.
Those are just a few of the labels that aptly could be attached to Elder Marion D. Hanks, an emeritus Seventy who spent almost two-thirds of his life serving as a General Authority. Elder Hanks died Aug. 5 at the age of 89.
Scores of friends, relatives and associates gathered in the Salt Lake Holladay South Stake Center Aug. 13 for the funeral of the beloved Church leader. President Thomas S. Monson and others paid tender tribute to Elder Hanks, memorializing him as a "man for all seasons" and a servant of the Lord.
"We have had in our midst all these years Marion D. Hanks — an honorable man, a man of God," said President Monson, who presided at the service.
The Church president said Elder Hanks was his "beloved friend and associate" in the work of the Lord. Both men shared a love of Scouting, the scriptures and the youth of the Church. President Monson noted Elder Hanks' devotion to his wife, Sister Maxine Hanks, and declared his long-time friend accepted in full the Apostle Paul's challenge to be "an example of the believers."
During the final years of his life. Elder Hanks battled illness and resided in an assisted-living center. President Monson would visit him often and sometimes discussed Elder Hanks' "glory days" on the basketball court where he was a member of an All-Church Championship team. President Monson said Elder Hanks enjoyed talking about that championship season and could name each of his former teammates.
"No one who has known Marion D. Hanks — or Duff, as we like to call him — will ever forget him," he said.
President Monson also read a letter addressed to Sister Hanks from the First Presidency that paid tribute to her husband's life of service, devotion and hard work in fulfilling calls that ranged from leading the British Mission to presiding over the Salt Lake Temple. The Church president also spoke of the First Presidency's love for the Hanks family.
While Marion D. Hanks was known as "Duff" to close friends and relatives, and as "Elder Hanks" to millions of Latter-day Saints, he will always be "President Hanks" to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Quentin L. Cook, members of the Quorum of the Twelve who served under Elder Hanks when he presided over the British Mission. Both men spoke at the funeral.
"For those two years in England and for five decades since, [President Hanks] has been a spiritual father to me, a title I use with utmost respect given the love I have for my own father," said Elder Holland.
President Hanks, he added, was also a learned, sensitive and insightful teacher who would enlist the words of Shakespeare or the world's great poets to teach the missionaries a valuable lesson — or perhaps inject a measure of needed humor. Nevertheless, it was the scriptures, that meanwhile, "were the hammer and tongs he used to forge our souls."
Elder Hanks, he added, spent his entire life counting everyone — especially the poor, the down-hearted, the left-out, the underdog, those beyond the spotlight, the forgotten, failing and friendless ones.
"He counted everyone in the room, and everyone in the room counted."
Elder Cook remembered his mission president as a man who could be counted upon to call for moral agency and correct choices. Elder Hanks taught that people can't always control their circumstances, but they can control their spiritual reactions and make the correct choice. It was important to make a daily decision to do the right thing.
Elder Cook said he witnessed Elder Hanks' dual devotion to his family and the gospel. As a young missionary, Elder Cook often observed the gospel being lived in full by the Hanks family inside the walls of the mission home.
Elder Hanks was always willing to share his rich testimony of Christ and his life was defined by his faith in the Lord. "His main emphasis was to do what the Savior wanted him to do," said Elder Cook.
Three of Elder Hanks' five children also spoke at the funeral. Nancy Hanks Baird said her father taught his children "to love truth." He was tenacious in his quest for truth and carried a deep aversion for pretense and arrogance. He taught all in his vast circle of friends and associates that Christ was the key to an abundant life.
He was a "real human being" who lived life with great urgency in his efforts to serve and help others.
Another daughter, Susan Hanks Maughan, said her father utilized the scriptures to teach his children. His Church duties often took him away from his family as he traveled across the globe to minister to congregations. "He was always willing to say yes to one more request if he could bless others." Yet his Church responsibilities never placed a hardship on the Hanks' children or his marriage, she said. Marion and Maxine Hanks enjoyed "a 62-year-old love affair."
A son, Richard Duff Hanks, called his father "a good man who honored God with his life."
On the athletic field, Elder Hanks taught his children how to throw, kick, swing and shoot. He could also teach the finer points of working with a hammer, swinging an ax or fixing a sprinkler.
"Being a teacher is what made my dad tick — it's what he was born to do," said Richard Hanks.
Elder Hanks also taught his children, missionaries and students the importance of treasuring what's truly important. "Dad taught us that the things that matter most are not things," he said.
