M Russell Ballard known as Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. is an American businessman, who was also a well-known religious person. He served in an interim capacity as the presider of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2018 until his demise in 2023.
M Russell Ballard has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church since 1985. Acknowledged by church members as a seer, prophet, and revelator, Ballard was granted membership in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Upon his demise, he held the position of the third-most prominent apostle within the church. Ballard was involved in numerous industries, including investing, real estate, and the automobile industry.
In the early 1950s, he departed from his father’s Nash vehicle dealership as the highest-grossing salesman to pursue alternative business opportunities.
M Russell Ballard returned to the Ballard Motor Company in 1956, where he succeeded his father. During this time, he was also a member of the United States Army Reserve, where he resigned from his first lieutenant rank in 1957.
The cause of M Russell Ballard’s death has piqued public interest; therefore, remain with us until the end to learn more.
M Russell Ballard Death Cause & Obituary: Health Update
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Sunday marked the passing of President M. Russell Ballard, the interim president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to church officials.
The 95-year-old President Ballard passed away on Sunday evening. As the cause of M Russell Ballard’s demise becomes public knowledge, curiosity ensues.
95 years old, he returned to his residence after a brief hospitalization and diligently attended to his obligations before passing away at approximately 11:15 p.m. in the company of his loved ones.
Since his quorum membership was called into session on October 6, 1985, he had been present. He is survived by one great-great-grandchild, seven offspring, 43 grandchildren, and 105 great-grandchildren.
Barbara Bowen Ballard, his spouse, expired in 2018, thereby becoming the preceding decedent.
Early Life Details Of M Russell Ballard
Geraldine Smith, the spouse of Melvin Russell Ballard, greeted him upon her arrival in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ballard was a young man who served as a missionary in England between 1948 and 1950.
Throughout this period, he occupied the role of counselor in the presidency of the mission. It was during his enrollment at the University of Utah that he met his wife.
M Russell Ballard held several positions within the LDS Church in the years that followed, two of which were bishop. In 1974, the church appointed Ballard as the leader of the Canada Toronto Mission.
In 1976, while serving as mission president, he was invited to join the First Quorum of the Seventy. He concluded his three-year presidency while remaining a member of the Seventy.
Beginning in 1980 and continuing through 1984, he held various positions, including editor of the church’s periodicals, during his seventies. He was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy from 1980 to 1985.
Ballard held additional positions of general authority, including executive director of the church’s missionary department and chief of its International Mission.
M Russell Ballard was elevated to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after the demise of apostle Bruce R. McConkie on October 6, 1985. Twelve days later, on October 10, 1985, Ballard received his ordination as an apostle.
Ballard was the grandson of two apostles, Hyrum M. Smith and Melvin J. Ballard. Ballard traced his ancestry back to Hyrum Smith, the religious founder Joseph Smith’s sibling, via Smith.
In his capacity as an apostle, Ballard was entrusted with the duty of supervising the church’s Pioneer Sesquicentennial observance in 1997.
Russell M. Nelson succeeded Thomas S. Monson as president of the church’s First Presidency upon his death in January 2018.
The inaugural counselor of the presidency Nelson selected Dallin H. Oaks as the prospective senior apostle and new quorum president.
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