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The life of Sister Frances Johnson Monson was grounded in faith, dignity, hard work and gratitude, President Henry B. Eyring said as he spoke at the conclusion of the funeral for the wife of President Thomas S. Monson. She died May 15.
"While this is a time of sorrow, it is also a time of gladness, for Sister Monson had a rich and rewarding life," said President Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency.
"The highest tribute to those who have passed through the veil is not grief but gratitude," President Eyring said. "Her talents were many, her love abundant, her character above reproach and her faith unshakable. President Monson has said of her, 'There was no chink in her armor; there was no guile in her soul; there was no flaw in her character.' She was an elect daughter of God, a choice spirit, the devoted wife of President Thomas S. Monson — 64 years they have been sweethearts."
President Eyring spoke of the reunion that awaited Sister Monson on the other side of the veil with her parents, Franz and Hildur Johnson and many others.
"Frances knows something about welcoming people home," President Eyring said. "In mortality she was at home to greet the children when they returned from school or activities and when President Monson returned from journeys overseas. What a reunion it will be when each of her loved ones here is reunited with her there in the home of our Father in heaven."
President Eyring said, "She was Swedish as is President Monson. By all ancestral accounts, Tom and Frances were meant to be together." President Eyring related the account of how young Tom Monson went to the Johnson home on his first date with Frances and learned that one of his great-uncles had brought the gospel to Frances' grandparents in Sweden.
Thomas S. Monson and Frances Johnson married on October 7, 1948.
"President Monson was called as bishop of the Sixth-Seventh ward at the age of 22, a member of the Temple View Stake Presidency at 27, a mission president at 31, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at 36, and a member of the First Presidency at 58. With each new responsibility came new pressure to the Monson's home; Frances held steady.
"A reporter once asked her how, amidst juggling all that was associated with her husband's service, did she keep her balance. She responded, 'I learned quite early to stand on my own feet.'
"President Monson will say that she was quiet by nature but when she talked, she had something to say. She was forthright and determined. She loved life, had many friends and served in unheralded ways. She needed no accolades and purposely shied away from the limelight. Her path was marked by goodness."
He said President and Sister Monson have been of one heart and one mind in their commitment to the Lord's errands. "The two have knelt in the evening at the side of their bed since the day they were married taking turns saying the prayer.
"Frances made it a priority that their home would be a sanctuary where the Spirit could abide. Through the years President Monson's assignments have taken him around the world, traveling untold miles. People have asked him where the best place he has journeyed is and his response has been quick, 'Home.' That was Frances's doing."
President Eyring said Sister Monson often was asked to speak to mothers in Relief Society or other Church meetings and often shared her standards by which she patterned their home. They were:
President Eyring said Sister Monson prized "duty" because her husband did. "She was reserved in her manner, knowing that what she said, or did, or put her hand on would reflect on her husband and his assignments. Of her, President Monson has said, 'I could not have asked for a more loyal, loving, and understanding companion.'"
He described Sister Monson as "very much a missionary" as she served with President Monson when he presided over the Canadian Mission 1959-62. He told of the telephone call she took from a man from Holland and the referral she made to missionaries to follow up. She persisted until the missionaries finally went to see the man, Jacob de Jager, who later became a General Authority, serving 17 years in the First Quorum of the Seventy.
President Eyring spoke of some of Sister Monson's challenges. "Frances was not given a pass to escape the tests of mortality. Her frail health in her last years was a trial for her, but she endured well. Now, we must follow her lead and be strong, resilient and trusting in the Lord during this trial of separation."
He quoted Doctrine and Covenants 68:6: "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and I will stand by you. ..."
President Eyring said, "All that we know and love about our dear Frances Monson continues. Her spirit has simply gone home to that God who gave her life. She will no doubt hear the greeting of the Master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord (Matthew 25:21).
"We celebrate her righteous life. To our dear and precious Frances, we say 'goodbye" for now, but not forever. As President Monson has so wisely taught us in the death of a loved one that wherever we go in this beautiful world a part of that person goes with us. And so it is with Frances Monson. She was an example of strength and purpose, a witness of God's love, a teacher of truth, a disciple of our Savior, Jesus Christ."
