ST. GEORGE — Hundreds of mourners stood in the rain along the streets of St. George on Thursday to honor President Jeffrey R. Holland as the late religious leader was laid to rest in his southern Utah hometown.
Holland, who served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Dec. 27 at age 85. His interment on New Year’s Day followed a funeral service held Wednesday at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
The funeral procession moved through the city past landmarks central to Holland’s life, including his childhood home, the St. George Utah Temple, and the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons at Utah Tech University.
Outside the temple, approximately 250 missionaries from the Utah St. George Mission gathered to sing “Amazing Grace” as the hearse passed.
“Our missionaries just love him so dearly,” said Nels Thorderson, president of the Utah St. George Mission. “They love this opportunity to pay some respect to him and his family, as well as to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Church President Dallin H. Oaks led a delegation of high-ranking officials at the graveside service at the St. George City Cemetery. Attendees included President Henry B. Eyring and several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
During the service, Holland’s daughter, Mary Alice McCann, spoke of her father’s deep roots in the red rock country of southern Utah. She noted that it was here he met his late wife, Patricia, and began a life defined by faith and “ancestral grit.”
“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,” McCann said.
Holland was buried alongside his wife, Patricia, who died in July 2023. The grave was dedicated by their son, Elder Matthew S. Holland, a General Authority Seventy.
Local residents and visitors alike lined the route to pay their final respects. Jay Manning, who traveled from New Mexico, described Holland as a “legend” whose teachings had a profound impact on his own service within the church.
“We’re just delighted to be a part of it,” added St. George resident Brent Lee. “It’s the least we can do to honor him in this moment in time.”