SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Kathleen Johnson Eyring, wife of President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be laid to rest this weekend, according to church officials.

Kathleen Eyring, 82, died Sunday surrounded by family members in Bountiful, Utah.

A public viewing will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Russon Brothers Mortuary on North Main Street in Bountiful. The funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Mueller Park 5th Ward building on East 1975 South in Bountiful.

  • President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, and his wife, Kathleen, participated in the rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple on Sunday, Nov. 21. Sunday, Nov., 21, 2010. Gerry Avant
  • Credit: Deseret News Archives, 1971 Caption info: Dr. Henry B. Eyring and his wife, Kathleen, and family before his inauguration as president of Ricks College. Their sons are Matthew, front, Henry and Stuart.
  • President Henry B. Eyring waves to the crowd during the Days of 47 parade Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Kathleen was reportedly born in San Francisco, California, on May 11, 1941. She is remembered by family and friends as an outgoing and fun-loving woman who excelled in sports and academics.

Kathleen served in multiple capacities in the church, including teaching lessons, visiting teaching, and producing a newsletter for her congregation. According to her son, Matthew J. Eyring, her most important service was “quiet compassion for those who had experienced difficulty and sadness in their lives. She would always seek out ‘the one’ without fanfare and help that person feel her love and the love of the Savior,” the church stated.

Kathleen was reportedly a gifted writer — she offered editorial counsel to her husband throughout his career and church service, as well as recorded family memories, wrote scripts for family events, and helped co-publish a monthly family newsletter. Additionally, she wrote a young adult novel and won a statewide prize for young adult literature in 1979, according to the church.

Kathleen’s memory reportedly began to fade in the early 2000s, and Eyring cared for her — often bringing her to his office to read and rest while he was in meetings.

The family said her faded memory was a challenge, but said her “loving spirit grew sweeter and a greater connection with the divine became apparent as she grew older and the memory loss progressed,” according to the church.

“Kathleen has always been a person that made me want to be the very best that I can be,” Eyring said.