Sister Gloria Mae Unger Oaks, the wife of Elder Robert C. Oaks, an emeritus General Authority Seventy, died Monday, July 7, 2025, in North Salt Lake, Utah, at age 88.
Sister Oaks served alongside her husband while he was a general authority for nine years. Elder Oaks served as a General Authority Seventy from 2000 to 2009 and in the Presidency of the Seventy from 2004 to 2007. During his service, the couple lived in East Africa, Europe and Utah.
But transience was not new for the couple. During Elder Oaks’ 35-year career in the U.S. Air Force — he retired in 1994 as a four-star general — the family moved roughly 25 times; from Japan to Korea, Germany to Italy and Idaho, to Texas, Virginia, Rhode Island and more.
Through all the upheavals and changes involved in their sometimes nomadic life, Sister Oaks served as a pillar of stability and faith for her husband and family, raising six children and striving to serve in the Church and community no matter where they were in the world.
In an interview with Kenneth Alford, BYU professor of Church history, Elder Oaks recalled a phone conversation with Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Prior to calling him as a general authority, President Hinckley asked, “How’s your testimony?”
Elder Oaks responded, “It’s strong.”
President Hinckley then asked, “How’s your wife’s testimony?”
Elder Oaks replied, “It’s stronger.”
Their frequent relocations enabled them to witness the growth of the Church in a variety of countries and cultures. Elder and Sister Oaks were there when the first Korean elder was ordained and when the first stake was organized in Kenya. Those and many other experiences throughout the world helped them better understand the gospel and the positive impact it has on people of all nationalities, Elder Oaks said (“LDS general wouldn’t trade places,” Church News, Dec. 16, 1989).
Through the years she served in a variety of callings, including in Primary and Relief Society. “Her unwavering faith and strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ were evident in her everyday actions,” says her obituary.
In an Ensign article when he was called as a general authority, Elder Oaks expressed “deep appreciation” for the support of his wife and family through the years.
Sister Oaks tried to make their home a “holy space” where family love was felt and “we could stand and feel protected from the more grinding influences of the world about us,” Elder Oaks said during a BYU–Idaho devotional (“Stand in Holy Places,” June 23, 2005).
An article in the Church News following Elder Oaks’ call to the Seventy noted that Elder Oaks was called on a Thursday, and on Friday, he and Sister Oaks put their home up for sale. “That was typically decisive, illustrative of the dedication of Robert and Gloria Oaks, always ready and eager to report for duty” (“Value, price of freedom appreciated by retired U.S. Air Force general,” Church News, June 3, 2000).
Gloria Mae Unger was born on Oct. 21, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents, Arthur Mathew and Annabelle McCabe Unger, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early in their marriage and eventually moved Gloria and her two sisters, Patsy and Vera Ann, to Provo, Utah.
As a young teenager, Gloria met Robert Charles Oaks at church and complimented him on a two-and-a-half minute talk he gave in Sunday School. They became friends. They both attended Brigham Young High School, where she was in chorus and a cheerleader and he lettered in four different sports. They began to date.
After high school, Robert became part of the first cohort of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Following graduation, he and Gloria were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 10, 1959. Together, they have six children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Gloria’s legacy of love, faith and service will forever be cherished by her family and friends,” says her obituary.
Sister Oaks is preceded in death by her parents and sisters, Patsy and Vera Ann, and a grandson, Andrew Oaks. She is survived by her husband, four sons and two daughters and 17 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Saturday, July 19, at 11 a.m. at the Foxhill Ward chapel located at 200 Eagle Ridge Drive, North Salt Lake, Utah. Public viewings will be held at the same location on Friday, July 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., and prior to the funeral service from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
Interment will be on Monday, July 21, at 11 a.m. at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park in Bluffdale, Utah.
