The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Sister Donna Edith Smith Packer, wife of the late President Boyd K. Packer, who served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, died Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 10:25 p.m. from causes incident to age. She was 94.
Sister Packer will be remembered for her love of family history work, her treasured role as a wife, mother and grandmother and for her dedication to the gospel.
Born to William W. and Nellie Jordan Smith, Donna was the oldest child of four and grew up in a household of boys.
Raised in a home where “patterns of cheerful optimism and basic goodness of the spirit” were taught, Sister Packer was influenced by her parents, as well as many other family members. Her parents were faithful in their Church callings, honoring the great sacrifices their ancestors had previously made for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because she was a shy girl, her mother put her in violin lessons in an effort to help young Donna be able to share a talent and possibly overcome her shyness (“Boyd K. Packer,” by Lucile Tate, p. 96). Her musical training paid off, as she went on to be able to speak or play in front of people — something that would be of great benefit in Church callings and assignments throughout her life.
As a youth she participated in baptisms for the dead, and from her experiences in sacred temple work she gained a love for family history and temple service.
Before Donna could even talk, her grandfather Rasmus Julius Smith said to a family member that he knew “someone in our family will work with prophets.”
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
