Today is President Ballard’s 92nd birthday. Here are 27 photos to celebrate his life

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, waves as he leaves the Saturday afternoon session of the 188th Annual General Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Behind are Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Patricia T. Holland.
President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, waves as he leaves the Saturday afternoon session of the 188th Annual General Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Behind are Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Patricia T. Holland. Credit: Ravell Call, Deseret News

On Thursday, Oct. 8, President M. Russell Ballard celebrates his 92nd birthday.

President Ballard has been serving as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since Jan. 14, 2018. He was sustained as an apostle on Oct. 6, 1985.

While serving as president of the Canada Toronto Mission, he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 1976. From February 1980 to October 1985, he served as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

Inside the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: What President Ballard has learned in over 40 years of service

He married Barbara Bowen on Aug. 28, 1951, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of seven children. Sister Ballard passed away on Oct. 1, 2018, at the age of 86. President Ballard acknowledged the passing of his wife during his October 2018 and October 2019 general conference talks.

During his October 2020 general conference address, President Ballard reminded listeners of the power of prayer amidst a deadly global pandemic where individuals’ lives are being disrupted and many feel isolated and alone.

“Each night when I pray, I ask the Lord to bless all who are burdened with grief, pain, loneliness and sadness. I know that other Church leaders echo that same prayer. Our hearts, individually and collectively, go out to you and our prayers go to God on your behalf,” he said.

Here are 27 photos celebrating the life of President Ballard:

M. Russell Ballard as a toddler. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Oct. 8, 1928, to Melvin Russell and Geraldine Smith Ballard.
M. Russell Ballard as a toddler. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Oct. 8, 1928, to Melvin Russell and Geraldine Smith Ballard. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
M. Russell Ballard and Barbara Bowen were married in the Salt Lake Temple on Aug. 28, 1951.
M. Russell Ballard and Barbara Bowen were married in the Salt Lake Temple on Aug. 28, 1951. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
M. Russell Ballard is pictured with his wife, Barbara B. Ballard. They are the parents of two sons and five daughters.
M. Russell Ballard is pictured with his wife, Barbara B. Ballard. They are the parents of two sons and five daughters. Credit: Deseret News archive
M. Russell Ballard, left, worked as the president of Ballard Motor Company, his father's car dealership, in the 1950s.
M. Russell Ballard, left, worked as the president of Ballard Motor Company, his father’s car dealership, in the 1950s. Credit: Deseret News archive
M. Russell Ballard served twice as a bishop. Here he is pictured with the Holladay 12th Ward, Olympus Stake. Left to right are Glendon M. Whitmore, first counselor; Bishop M. Russell Ballard Jr., and Boyd N. Nielson, second counselor. At rear are Irvan W. McCarrel, J. Rodney Taylor and H. Clive Kimball, clerks.
M. Russell Ballard served twice as a bishop. Here he is pictured with the Holladay 12th Ward, Olympus Stake. Left to right are Glendon M. Whitmore, first counselor; Bishop M. Russell Ballard Jr., and Boyd N. Nielson, second counselor. At rear are Irvan W. McCarrel, J. Rodney Taylor and H. Clive Kimball, clerks. Credit: Deseret News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard and his wife, Sister Barbara Ballard, pose after his new calling to serve in the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 1976.
Elder M. Russell Ballard and his wife, Sister Barbara Ballard, pose after his new calling to serve in the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 1976. Credit: Church News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard, second from left, and Sister Barbara Ballard, right, and their children match wits and luck in the game of Bonkers in the 1980s.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, second from left, and Sister Barbara Ballard, right, and their children match wits and luck in the game of Bonkers in the 1980s. Credit: Church News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard reviews curriculum material at the Church in March 1980.
Elder M. Russell Ballard reviews curriculum material at the Church in March 1980. Credit: Church News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard gives a talk about families in a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on May 25, 1980. Pictured with his daughter and son-in-law, he uses his grandson to make a point that no one knows the destiny of a child.
Elder M. Russell Ballard gives a talk about families in a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on May 25, 1980. Pictured with his daughter and son-in-law, he uses his grandson to make a point that no one knows the destiny of a child. Credit: Church News archive
Elder Charles Didier and Elder M. Russell Ballard, on front row, mingle with children and others in the congregation when Suriname was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel in February 1990.
Elder Charles Didier and Elder M. Russell Ballard, on front row, mingle with children and others in the congregation when Suriname was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel in February 1990. Credit: Church News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard, right, was a guest of President George Bush at Camp David for the dedication of the new interfaith chapel at the former president's Maryland retreat. Elder Ballard received a silver tray for the Church's contribution to the Camp David Chapel Fund Inc. This picture appeared in an April 1991 edition of the Church News.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, right, was a guest of President George Bush at Camp David for the dedication of the new interfaith chapel at the former president’s Maryland retreat. Elder Ballard received a silver tray for the Church’s contribution to the Camp David Chapel Fund Inc. This picture appeared in an April 1991 edition of the Church News. Credit: Church News archive
Elder M. Russell Ballard, President Howard W. Hunter, and Elders Russell M. Nelson Joseph B. Wirthlin, and Dean L. Larsen watch the cornerstone laying at the dedication of the Las Vegas Temple in 1989.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, President Howard W. Hunter, and Elders Russell M. Nelson Joseph B. Wirthlin, and Dean L. Larsen watch the cornerstone laying at the dedication of the Las Vegas Temple in 1989. Credit: Church News archives
Elder M. Russell Ballard, President Boyd K. Packer, Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Bishop H. David Burton, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson at the Baton Rouge Evacuation Center on Sept. 4, 2005.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, President Boyd K. Packer, Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Bishop H. David Burton, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson at the Baton Rouge Evacuation Center on Sept. 4, 2005. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Elder M. Russell Ballard and Jon M. Huntsman Sr. are pictured at Waterfall Resort in Alaska in July 1994. They were great friends. Elder Huntsman, a successful businessman who served as an Area Seventy and mission president, passed away in February 2018.
Elder M. Russell Ballard and Jon M. Huntsman Sr. are pictured at Waterfall Resort in Alaska in July 1994. They were great friends. Elder Huntsman, a successful businessman who served as an Area Seventy and mission president, passed away in February 2018. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Elder M. Russell Ballard talks about grave sites of Joseph and Hyrum Smith commemoration service June 27, 2002. Jospeh Smith is Elder Ballard's great-great-great-uncle and Hyrum Smith is his great-great grandfather.
Elder M. Russell Ballard talks about grave sites of Joseph and Hyrum Smith commemoration service June 27, 2002. Jospeh Smith is Elder Ballard’s great-great-great-uncle and Hyrum Smith is his great-great grandfather. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred
Elder Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Peter Huntsman and Elder M. Russell Ballard survey some of the damage in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Sept. 4, 2005.
Elder Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Peter Huntsman and Elder M. Russell Ballard survey some of the damage in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Sept. 4, 2005. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Michelle Obama, middle, meets with the Elder Quentin L. Cook, left, and Elder M. Russell Ballard, right, at Church Headquarters during a campaign stop in Salt Lake City on behalf of her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, in February 2008.
Michelle Obama, middle, meets with the Elder Quentin L. Cook, left, and Elder M. Russell Ballard, right, at Church Headquarters during a campaign stop in Salt Lake City on behalf of her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, in February 2008. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc
Elder M. Russell M. Ballard shakes hands with a young child in Moscow, Russia, June 4, 2016.
Elder M. Russell M. Ballard shakes hands with a young child in Moscow, Russia, June 4, 2016. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Then-Elder M. Russell Ballard tells a story to his family members during a council meeting in Salt Lake City on Dec. 26, 2016. He has been an energetic advocate of the council system in the Church stretching at least as far back as October 1993, when he talked on that subject in general conference for the first time.
Then-Elder M. Russell Ballard tells a story to his family members during a council meeting in Salt Lake City on Dec. 26, 2016. He has been an energetic advocate of the council system in the Church stretching at least as far back as October 1993, when he talked on that subject in general conference for the first time. Credit: Nick Wagner
Elder M. Russell Ballard speaks during the annual Days of '47 rodeo at the new state fair park arena in Salt Lake City on July 19, 2017.
Elder M. Russell Ballard speaks during the annual Days of ’47 rodeo at the new state fair park arena in Salt Lake City on July 19, 2017. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, fourth from left; Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, third from left; and Sister Cristina B. Franco, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, second from left; gather in prayer with The Reverend Clemons in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 16-17, 2017.
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, fourth from left; Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, third from left; and Sister Cristina B. Franco, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, second from left; gather in prayer with The Reverend Clemons in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 16-17, 2017. Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Elder M. Russell Ballard and his wife, Sister Barbara Ballard, exit at the end of the afternoon session of 187th Semiannual General Conference in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Sister Ballard passed away on Oct. 1, 2018, at age 86.
Elder M. Russell Ballard and his wife, Sister Barbara Ballard, exit at the end of the afternoon session of 187th Semiannual General Conference in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Sister Ballard passed away on Oct. 1, 2018, at age 86. Credit: Scott G Winterton
Elder M. Russell Ballard rides in the Days of '47 Parade in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
Elder M. Russell Ballard rides in the Days of ’47 Parade in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Credit: Kristin Murphy
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, March 9, 2019. Credit: The Vatican
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, pose near the Vatican in Rome, Italy, on March 9, 2019 after meeting with Pope Francis.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, pose near the Vatican in Rome, Italy, on March 9, 2019 after meeting with Pope Francis. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President M. Russell Ballard and President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints react to an photograph taken earlier in the day of themselves in Rome, Italy on Monday, March 11, 2019.
President M. Russell Ballard and President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints react to an photograph taken earlier in the day of themselves in Rome, Italy on Monday, March 11, 2019. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Every member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posed for an iconic photograph in Rome, Italy on Monday, March 11, 2019. Front center are President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring. Also included are members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Neil L. Andersen, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares.
Every member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posed for an iconic photograph in Rome, Italy on Monday, March 11, 2019. Front center are President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring. Also included are members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Neil L. Andersen, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares. Credit: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News