President Holland laid to rest as New Year rings in with rain in St. George

ST. GEORGE, Utah — New Year’s Day in 2026 in St. George, Utah, brought much-needed rain to the desert community in Southern Utah.

For David Holland, son of the late President Jeffrey R. Holland, the rain was a poetic send-off for his father.

“My dad absolutely loved to take a drive in the rain, and he loved to drive around his beloved St. George. I cannot imagine anything more fitting than the fact that today he got both,” David Holland said, speaking at the burial of his father the morning after President Holland’s funeral was held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Prior to the service, a funeral processional wound through the streets of St. George. The line of cars passed by some locations of personal meaning to President Holland, including the St. George Utah Temple, the St. George Tabernacle and his childhood home. President Holland had rededicated both the temple and the tabernacle.

Missionaries from the Utah St. George Mission lined the road in front of the temple and sang “Amazing Grace” together as President Holland’s hearse passed them. Members of the community lined the streets for nearly a mile before the processional arrived at the St. George City Cemetery.

Mary Alice McCann, President Holland’s daughter, said during the burial service that her dad was “once just a little boy.”

“He roamed the red hills. He played any sport with a ball in these parks. He met a little girl named Patricia. And [he] began a lifetime of gospel study and faith, all on the backs of those family members who came before him and who surround us today in this cemetery,” she said.

McCann said “ancestral grit and dedication coursed through the veins of Jeffrey R. Holland” and that the foundation of his life was built on “unswerving commitment to serve the Lord and His kingdom.”

President Holland, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, died on Dec. 27, 2025. After the graveside service on Thursday morning, Jan. 1, he was laid to rest alongside his late wife, Sister Patricia Terry Holland, who died July 20, 2023.

President Holland’s oldest son, Elder Matthew S. Holland, a General Authority Seventy, dedicated his father’s grave. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered a tender and heartfelt invocation to open the graveside services.

Attending the service amid heavy rain that subsided as the program began were many of President Holland’s family members, neighbors, friends, and quorum members.

President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attended with his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks. Both of President Oaks’ counselors in the First Presidency, President Henry B. Eyring and President D. Todd Christofferson, attended as well. President Christofferson was joined by his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson.

Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in attendance included Elder Uchtdorf and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf; Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen; Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson; and Elder Patrick Kearon and his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon.

When the service concluded, each of the Church leaders greeted President and Sister Holland’s children and other family members.