Sister Annette Shewell Stanley, 88, wife of Elder F. David Stanley, an emeritus General Authority Seventy, died March 31, 2026, in Salt Lake City.
Sister Stanley served faithfully in a variety of callings within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including alongside her husband as leaders of the Idaho Boise Mission from 1990 to 1992, as president and matron of the Bountiful Utah Temple from 1997 to 2000, and as he served as a General Authority Seventy from 1992 to 1997.
She will be remembered for her kindness, faith and testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, states her obituary.
Annette Shewell was born Feb. 11, 1938, in Evanston, Wyoming, the sixth of 10 children of Harry Shewell and Lucile James Shewell.
She was introduced to F. David Stanley by her brother when he was a student at the University of Utah and she was attending West High School in Salt Lake City. Their first date was attending a basketball game where Elder Stanley played.
Romance blossomed quickly, and they married in the Salt Lake Temple in June 1956.
“The day we were married, we made a commitment to each other as we left the temple that we would not let anything stand in our way of serving the Lord,” Sister Stanley said in a Church News article. “We have received so many blessings because of that commitment, and we’ve learned so much, too.”
The Stanleys have eight children — four sons and four daughters — and 37 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.
Besides her general Church service, Sister Stanley also served as a stake Relief Society president and board member, stake Primary board member, ward Young Women president, Primary chorister and teacher. As an accomplished pianist and vocalist, Sister Stanley filled their home with music.
In a Church News article when Elder Stanley was called as a general authority, Elder and Sister Stanley attributed their happiness and success — individually and as a family — to the basics: regular scripture study, personal and family prayer, home evenings and participating fully in the Church, and doing faithfully whatever they were called to do.
“Annette had an amazing measure of faith and a pure testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” her obituary says.
Sister Stanley is survived by her husband and seven children: Deborah (Bill) Wright; Diana (Brian) Thomas; Douglas (Vicki); Matthew (Lisa); Catherine (Lee) Peacock; David (Mary Ann); and Jennifer (Thayne) Hansen; 37 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren; brothers Elsworth Shewell and Cordell Shewell; and sister, Victoria Collard. She was preceded in death by her oldest son Mark (Julie) Stanley.
A funeral was held April 11 in Salt Lake City. Interment took place at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
