Thomas E. McKay
Born: 29 October 1875
Called as Assistant to the Twelve: 6 April 1941
Died: 15 January 1958
Called as Assistant to the Twelve: 6 April 1941
Died: 15 January 1958
Conference TalksImage source: Improvement Era, April 1954
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Image source: Improvement Era, April 1954
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Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 3
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Improvement Era, April 1954, Elder Thomas E. McKay
Improvement Era, March 1958, The Church Mourns the Passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay
Relief Society Magazine, March 1958, In Memoriam - Elder Thomas E. McKay
Instructor, April 1958, He Was There to Help
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Improvement Era, April 1954, Elder Thomas E. McKay
Improvement Era, March 1958, The Church Mourns the Passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay
Relief Society Magazine, March 1958, In Memoriam - Elder Thomas E. McKay
Instructor, April 1958, He Was There to Help
Jenson, Andrew. "McKay, Thomas E." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 3. pg. 682-683.
McKAY, Thomas Evans, president of the Ogden Stake, Weber county, Utah, was born Oct. 29, 1875, In Huntsville, Weber county, Utah, the son of David McKay and Jennette Evans. He was raised and schooled in Huntsville and graduated from the University of Utah in 1899. After being baptized by his father Oct. 23, 1883, he was ordained successively to the offices of Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Elder and Seventy. He labored on the Weber Stake Sunday School Board, together with Supt. Thomas B. Evans, and in 1900 he filled a mission to Switzerland and Germany. After laboring in Stuttgart three months and in Munich three months, he presided over the Frankfort conference thirty months. Before going on his mission he was principal of the Pingree School in Ogden, and after his return to Utah he taught two years in the Weber Academy; later he taught two years in the Agricultural College, after which he served as superintendent of the Weber county schools. When the original Weber Stake was divided into three Stakes in 1908, Elder McKay was ordained a High Priest and chosen to act as second counselor to President Thomas B. Evans. In 1909-1912 he filled a second mission to Europe, this time presiding over the Swiss and German Mission, with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. After returning from that mission he again acted as second counselor to Pres. Evans of the Ogden Stake and later as first counselor, and when President Evans died in March, 1919, Bro. McKay was chosen as president of the Ogden Stake, which position he still holds. President McKay has also been active in secular matters and has held many positions of honor and responsibility. Thus he served for some time as recorder of Weber county and in 1919 he represented Weber county in the Utah State legislature. In 1912 (Sept. 11th) Brother McKay married Faun Brimhall, daughter of Geo. H. Brimhall and Flora Robertson. Mrs. Mc- Kay was born May 16, 18 8 9, in Spanish Fork, Utah. Three children have blessed this marriage, namely, Flora Jennette, Faun and Thomas B. Pres. McKay is a farmer and stock raiser.
McKAY, Thomas Evans, president of the Ogden Stake, Weber county, Utah, was born Oct. 29, 1875, In Huntsville, Weber county, Utah, the son of David McKay and Jennette Evans. He was raised and schooled in Huntsville and graduated from the University of Utah in 1899. After being baptized by his father Oct. 23, 1883, he was ordained successively to the offices of Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Elder and Seventy. He labored on the Weber Stake Sunday School Board, together with Supt. Thomas B. Evans, and in 1900 he filled a mission to Switzerland and Germany. After laboring in Stuttgart three months and in Munich three months, he presided over the Frankfort conference thirty months. Before going on his mission he was principal of the Pingree School in Ogden, and after his return to Utah he taught two years in the Weber Academy; later he taught two years in the Agricultural College, after which he served as superintendent of the Weber county schools. When the original Weber Stake was divided into three Stakes in 1908, Elder McKay was ordained a High Priest and chosen to act as second counselor to President Thomas B. Evans. In 1909-1912 he filled a second mission to Europe, this time presiding over the Swiss and German Mission, with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. After returning from that mission he again acted as second counselor to Pres. Evans of the Ogden Stake and later as first counselor, and when President Evans died in March, 1919, Bro. McKay was chosen as president of the Ogden Stake, which position he still holds. President McKay has also been active in secular matters and has held many positions of honor and responsibility. Thus he served for some time as recorder of Weber county and in 1919 he represented Weber county in the Utah State legislature. In 1912 (Sept. 11th) Brother McKay married Faun Brimhall, daughter of Geo. H. Brimhall and Flora Robertson. Mrs. Mc- Kay was born May 16, 18 8 9, in Spanish Fork, Utah. Three children have blessed this marriage, namely, Flora Jennette, Faun and Thomas B. Pres. McKay is a farmer and stock raiser.
Jenson, Andrew. "McKay, Thomas E." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 387.
McKAY, Thomas E., president of the Swiss and German Mission from 1909 to 1912. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 3, p. 682.)
McKAY, Thomas E., president of the Swiss and German Mission from 1909 to 1912. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 3, p. 682.)
Young, Clifford E. "Elder Thomas E. McKay." Improvement Era. April 1954. pg. 224-226, 271.
ELDER THOMAS E. MCKAY by Clifford E. Young ASSISTANT TO THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE Thomas E. McKay is a man of broad experience. His activities have covered a wide field, and his devotion to duty and his sense of obligation to a public trust have ever been exemplified in his life. He has been a farmer, teacher, public official, both in county and state, member of the state senate, its presiding officer for two terms, member of the Public Service Commission of the State of Utah, superintendent of the Weber County schools, missionary, stake president, twice president of the Swiss-German Mission, and acting president of the European Mission during World War II. All of these show the wide experience of Thomas E. McKay, and in all of these were reflected the integrity and sterling worth of a man who has ever been conscious of his obligations to a trust and has shown his devotion to duty. He has served the public with one objective, that of service to his fellow men. In all of his public relations and administrative duties he has manifested an exceptional friendliness and generosity. He has never been unkind and has always had an interest in the welfare of the people whom he served. Thomas E. McKay, like his illustrious brother, President David O. McKay, is the personification of all that is good. He loves people, and all who know him have a deep affection for him, whether engaged in Church service, on the farm, as servant of the people in public office, or on a fishing stream. In all these he reflects that same refining influence and feeling of confidence and affection toward all with whom he comes in contact. He loves the out-of-doors. He is a man of many hobbies, and one of them is fishing. He learned long ago on the beautiful streams of Ogden Valley that an angler's occupation is a good cure for much of the evil that is in the world. He feels, as expressed by Henry Van Dyke, that the hand of the Creator is as skilful in the coloring of a fish as in the painting of the manifold petals that sweeten the wild flowers. Although having to safeguard his health and conserve his energy because of a serious heart attack, he often goes to the old farm in Ogden Valley to supervise the planting and harvesting of crops; and when he feels he is not jeopardizing his health, he. and his wife, sometimes accompanied by their son, Thomas, will steal away to Henry's or Yellowstone lakes or perhaps the upper Snake River to "feel the beauty and blessedness and peace of the woods and meadows that God has bedecked with flowers." He never comes back emptyhanded. A good fisherman is Thomas E. McKay. I recall an incident of a few summers ago while my daughter and her two children were here from Texas. We were invited to the old McKay farm in Huntsville as guests of Brother and Sister McKay. After a delicious dinner with Brother McKay, although not too strong at the time, as he was slowly recovering from a serious illness, he insisted on taking the children to a nearby stream where they had the thrill of their lives fishing. This last summer these same two children were again with me, and John, the boy aged thirteen, spent much of his time fishing in our nearby canyon streams. One evening on the Provo River he caught two large trout, one a fourteen-incher, and he gleefully said, "Grandpa, these are for Brother McKay." Children love Brother McKay wherever they are fortunate enough to come within the circle of his friendship. In a book published by Brigham Young University a number of years ago as a tribute to Dr. George H. Brimhall, the following experience is related by Dr. Brimhall: "A few evenings ago in Ogden Canyon, an automobile headed from Huntsville towards Ogden was making good time. The highway was banked on both sides with snow, pushed high by the snowplow, leaving room for passing, provided each vehicle kept close to its bank. On a curve the car came suddenly upon a bobsled which was coming up the canyon in the middle of the track. The driver of the car had the alternative of striking the sled or plunging into the snowbank or the river side of the track. He chose the latter. The car kept on its wheels but stuck fast in the snow. One of the occupants of the sled, looking back, saw the snowbound condition of the auto, called the driver to stop, and went to the aid of the chauffeur. "The driver of the car met the man from the sled with the declaration, 'It was my fault, I was coming a little too fast; you people did not have time to give me passing room.' The man from the bobsled party shouted to his companions: 'Come back! Here is a real gentleman!' "The occupants of the sled piled out, and the car was soon on the road. "Everyone of the bobsleigh party thought, and some of them said, in substance: 'It is a rare thing to find a man who will not dodge; behind some tree of self-justification when he gets into trouble, by not giving the other fellow a chance.' "This circumstance caused me to wish for more real gentlemen in all the highways of life, from the home circle to international council chambers. Just the confession, 'It was my fault, I was going too fast,' would be a signal for more home happiness and possibly a world peace." The driver of that car was Thomas E. McKay. Thomas Evans McKay is the son of David and Jennette Evans McKay and was born in Huntsville, Weber County, Utah, the 29th of October, 1875. His father had emigrated from Scotland and his mother from Wales, both converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and both of them coming from families of rare integrity and of great faith. I quote from a talk that Brother McKay made at our last conference in which he paid tribute to his mother, stating, "I feel more grateful than ever this morning for my mother, that she was instrumental in insisting on my father's accepting his call to go into the mission field at the time he was called and would not permit him to postpone that call for a year because of her delicate condition. That was a great decision in the history of the David McKay family, and I appreciate it more this morning than ever. She said, 'David, you go on that mission. The Lord wants you now, not a year from now. He can take care of me when you are in Scotland as well as if you were at my bedside.' It was just ten days after he left for the mission field that a beautiful little spirit, one of the choicest, came to our home. She was over two years old before my father saw her. I say I am grateful that that decision was made to go on a mission at that time." This I think reflects the faith and the devotion of worthy parents of a worthy son. Thomas's early life was spent in Huntsville where he grew up through all the organizations of the Church and came under their influence. He received his early school training in the schools of Ogden Valley and later attended the University of Utah from which he graduated in 1899. After his graduation he was appointed principal of the Pingree School in Ogden where he served until 1900, when he was called to fulfil a mission to Great Britain, but was reassigned to labor with the German people. On his return home in 1903 he became a member of the faculty of Weber Academy where he taught for two years. He left the Weber Academy to become a member of the faculty of the Utah State Agricultural College. After two years' service in the college he was appointed superintendent of the Weber County schools, serving in this capacity from 1907 until 1909. In January 1909, he was called as a missionary to the Swiss-German Mission where he labored for three years, returning in March 1912. Brother McKay always has taken an interest in civic affairs, and in 1919 he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Utah Legislature. In 1921 he was elected to the State Senate from Weber County, and during two terms he served as president of the State Senate. In 1923 he was appointed a member of the Public Utilities Commission, now the Public Service Commission of the State of Utah, and served in this capacity fourteen years. During his term of office as a member of the Public Utilities Commission he was general chairman of the Central Western Shippers Advisory Board and president of the National Association of Railroad and Utility Commissioners. In 1929 he was appointed a member of the executive committee and continued in this position until the annual meeting of the National Association of Railroad Utility Commissioners at Washington, D. C, in 1934, when he was elected second vice president. The following year he became first vice president of the association, and in 1936 he was elected its president. During his term of office he presided at the annual meeting held at Atlantic City in November 1936. In 1937 he was called by President Grant to preside over the Swiss-German Mission. After the missionaries from Zion had been safely evacuated from the European field, after the outbreak of hostilities, Brother McKay returned home and during World War II served as the acting president of the European Mission with his headquarters in Salt Lake City. This work had to be carried on largely by correspondence, but Brother McKay maintained contact with the local presidents in Europe, encouraging them and helping them through those troublesome times and rendering all the assistance possible to maintain the work of the Church in those foreign fields. In the dark war years that followed, Brother McKay did more than his share to keep alive the missionary spark of the Church and to encourage the poor people in Europe who were laboring under the yoke of a terrible war. In September 1912, he was married to Fawn Brimhall, a daughter of the late George H. and Flora Robertson Brimhall. To this union five children were born, Flora Jennette Jensen (Mrs. Leslie Jensen), Fawn Brodie (Mrs. Bernard Brodie), Barbara Fay (Mrs. Oliver Smith), Marjorie Louise (Mrs. Richard Y. Card), and Thomas Brimhall McKay, their only son. These children reflect the refining influence of their parents. Much of Brother McKay's success is due to the loyal support of his wife. She loves the outdoors and shares in the joys and thrills that come to her husband as they travel about the canyons and the woods where they both get so much out of life. She is an artist in her own right, her water colors being outstanding. It is always a thrill for anyone to be privileged to visit them in their home. Their hospitality and the sweetness of spirit that prevail there leave a benediction on all who are blessed and privileged to come under their influence. Brother McKay is an effective speaker. There is a human touch in all his talks. He uses personal experiences to illustrate his themes, and because of his wide experience and his keen sense of humor, he is listened to with rapt attention. Wherever he goes, he leaves an influence for good, and in all the stakes of Zion that he has visited, the people remember him with deep affection and look forward to the time he will be privileged to come to their stake again. Thomas E. McKay is truly a servant of God, one devoted to the truth, ever faithful to any trust that may be imposed upon him. I think I can best sum up his loyalty and his faith by quoting from the talk which he made at the general conference in April 1953: "There is no excuse for anybody in this Church not having work. It is not a one-man Church; it is not the Church of Joseph Smith, nor of Brigham Young, nor of any of the leaders who have succeeded them. They have all been called of God by the proper authority, but it is the Church, brothers and sisters, of Jesus Christ. He is our head. Do not forget that. I testify to you, my friends, my brethren and sisters, that I know that Jesus lives and that he is the Christ, and he is our head, the head of this Church. I bear you this testimony in his name." |
—Photograph by Harris and Ewing
Elder Thomas E. McKay. This picture was taken when he was president of the National Association of Railroad & Utility Commissioners. A recent picture of Thomas E. and Faun Brimhall McKay.
David McKay, Sr., and Jennette Evans McKay, and their four eldest children. David O. is standing by his father, and Thomas E. is seated on his mother's lap.
Thomas E. and David O. McKay
A recent photograph of the Thomas E. McKay family.
Thomas E. McKay as a young man.
Two of Brother McKay's favorite sports: horseback riding and fishing. Here he is shown with his daughter Flora and with his son Thomas.
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Josephson, Marba C. "The Church Mourns the Passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay." Improvement Era. March 1958. pg. 156-157, 184.
The Church Mourns the Passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay
by Marba C. Josephson Associate Managing Editor
Brother McKay loved people and people loved him. He was firm in his faith, but tolerant of others. He felt there was goodness in all men.
Elder Thomas Evans McKay, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve since 1941, twice mission president of the Swiss-German Mission as well as a missionary to that country in his youth, educator, lawmaker, has offered the fruits of his talents to his community and his Church during the eighty-two years of his life.
The many activities of Thomas E. McKay's life were diversified, but all united to contribute to his character and make him a great force for good. In his lifelong interest in education he taught by love as well as by example. He became principal of the Pingree School in Ogden, Utah, in 1899 following immediately his graduation from the University of Utah. In 1900 he received a call to a foreign mission, to serve, he understood, in the British Mission, but he was assigned as a missionary in Germany for three years. When he returned, he taught for two years at Weber Academy, which institution he left to become a teacher at what is now the Utah State University. After two years at this institution he was called to serve as superintendent of the Weber County school district in which capacity he served for two years.
His service to his community having been demonstrated through his teaching and supervisory work, he proved his wider community interest through election in the Utah State Legislature: first in the House of Representatives for two years (1919-1921); and then in the Senate, where he held the office of president for two terms. In 1923 he was appointed a member of the Public Utilities Commission (the Public Service Commission of today) where he served for fourteen years. In 1924, Elder McKay also served as Utah chairman of the Western Shippers advisory board, in which organization he was elected general chairman in 1929. He was also appointed to the executive committee of the National Association of Railroad and Utilities Commissioners in the same year.
Throughout his life Elder McKay served in the priesthood and auxiliary organizations of the Church. His great leadership early evidenced itself, and he was called as second counselor in the Ogden Stake presidency at the time of its division from the Weber Stake, a position which was interrupted by a call to the presidency of the Swiss-German Mission in 1909. When he returned in 1912 from this service, Elder McKay was again called to the stake presidency.
In September 1912, Elder McKay married Faun Brimhall, daughter of the noted educator, George H. Brimhall, and Flora Robertson Brimhall. They were blessed with five children, four daughters and a son, who survive Elder McKay's passing: Flora Jennette Jensen, Fawn Brodie, Barbara Fay Smith, Marjorie Louise Card, and Thomas Brimhall McKay. Also mourning Elder McKay's passing are eighteen grandchildren.
Elder Clifford E. Young, appointed as an Assistant to the Twelve on the same day as Elder McKay was appointed, said in his funeral sermon, honoring Elder McKay.
"Thomas Evans McKay was the son of David and Jennette Evans McKay and was born in Huntsville, October 29, 1875. His parents were converts to the Church, his father having come from Scotland, his mother from Wales. Brother McKay often paid affectionate tribute to his worthy parents. I quote from his address in the April 1944 Conference. I feel more grateful than ever this morning for my mother, that she was instrumental in insisting on my father's accepting his call to go into the mission field at the time he was called and would not permit him to postpone that call for a year because of her delicate condition. That was a great decision in the history of the David McKay family, and I appreciate it more this morning than ever. She said, "David, you go on that mission. The Lord wants you now, not a year from now. He can take care of me when you are in Scotland as well as if you were at my bedside." It was just ten days after he left for the mission field that a beautiful little spirit, one of the choicest, came to our home. She was over two years old before my father saw her. I say I am grateful that decision was made to go on a mission at that time.'
"His assignment as one of the General Authorities took him to all parts of the Church and he was respected and appreciated by all the Church members that were fortunate enough to come under his kindly influence.
"Brother McKay loved people and people loved him. He was firm in his faith, but tolerant of others who did not believe as he did. He felt there was a goodness in all men.
"He loved the outdoors and knew that to spend a few hours on some of our beautiful mountain streams with a fishing rod was a good cure for much of the evil that is in the world. I have no fear of the outcome.
"In Luke we read, 'Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
''And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
''And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
“And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
" 'And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?'
'' 'He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.' (Luke 24:1-6.)
" 'Why seek ye the living among the dead?' The body of Brother McKay is here. He has taken care of it, and it has served him well, but like a cloak he has now laid it off because it has become incapacitated. It needs the healing powers of the great creative forces. Hence, it will be laid away for that purpose, but the spirit lives, Thomas E. McKay lives and will continue to live and be active there as he was here."
President David O. McKay and the following sisters, Mrs. George R. (Elizabeth) Hill, Mrs. Joel (Catherine) Ricks, Mrs. Joseph H. (Jeannette) Morrell, and Mrs. Thomas (Annie) Farr, survive in addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren. This closely knit family and the entire Church sorrow at the passing of Elder Thomas Evans McKay. Always the gentleman, always the respecter of persons, Elder McKay will be missed, but the force of his influence will be felt in the lives of those whom he has known and led to a greater understanding of the abundant life.
The Church Mourns the Passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay
by Marba C. Josephson Associate Managing Editor
Brother McKay loved people and people loved him. He was firm in his faith, but tolerant of others. He felt there was goodness in all men.
Elder Thomas Evans McKay, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve since 1941, twice mission president of the Swiss-German Mission as well as a missionary to that country in his youth, educator, lawmaker, has offered the fruits of his talents to his community and his Church during the eighty-two years of his life.
The many activities of Thomas E. McKay's life were diversified, but all united to contribute to his character and make him a great force for good. In his lifelong interest in education he taught by love as well as by example. He became principal of the Pingree School in Ogden, Utah, in 1899 following immediately his graduation from the University of Utah. In 1900 he received a call to a foreign mission, to serve, he understood, in the British Mission, but he was assigned as a missionary in Germany for three years. When he returned, he taught for two years at Weber Academy, which institution he left to become a teacher at what is now the Utah State University. After two years at this institution he was called to serve as superintendent of the Weber County school district in which capacity he served for two years.
His service to his community having been demonstrated through his teaching and supervisory work, he proved his wider community interest through election in the Utah State Legislature: first in the House of Representatives for two years (1919-1921); and then in the Senate, where he held the office of president for two terms. In 1923 he was appointed a member of the Public Utilities Commission (the Public Service Commission of today) where he served for fourteen years. In 1924, Elder McKay also served as Utah chairman of the Western Shippers advisory board, in which organization he was elected general chairman in 1929. He was also appointed to the executive committee of the National Association of Railroad and Utilities Commissioners in the same year.
Throughout his life Elder McKay served in the priesthood and auxiliary organizations of the Church. His great leadership early evidenced itself, and he was called as second counselor in the Ogden Stake presidency at the time of its division from the Weber Stake, a position which was interrupted by a call to the presidency of the Swiss-German Mission in 1909. When he returned in 1912 from this service, Elder McKay was again called to the stake presidency.
In September 1912, Elder McKay married Faun Brimhall, daughter of the noted educator, George H. Brimhall, and Flora Robertson Brimhall. They were blessed with five children, four daughters and a son, who survive Elder McKay's passing: Flora Jennette Jensen, Fawn Brodie, Barbara Fay Smith, Marjorie Louise Card, and Thomas Brimhall McKay. Also mourning Elder McKay's passing are eighteen grandchildren.
Elder Clifford E. Young, appointed as an Assistant to the Twelve on the same day as Elder McKay was appointed, said in his funeral sermon, honoring Elder McKay.
"Thomas Evans McKay was the son of David and Jennette Evans McKay and was born in Huntsville, October 29, 1875. His parents were converts to the Church, his father having come from Scotland, his mother from Wales. Brother McKay often paid affectionate tribute to his worthy parents. I quote from his address in the April 1944 Conference. I feel more grateful than ever this morning for my mother, that she was instrumental in insisting on my father's accepting his call to go into the mission field at the time he was called and would not permit him to postpone that call for a year because of her delicate condition. That was a great decision in the history of the David McKay family, and I appreciate it more this morning than ever. She said, "David, you go on that mission. The Lord wants you now, not a year from now. He can take care of me when you are in Scotland as well as if you were at my bedside." It was just ten days after he left for the mission field that a beautiful little spirit, one of the choicest, came to our home. She was over two years old before my father saw her. I say I am grateful that decision was made to go on a mission at that time.'
"His assignment as one of the General Authorities took him to all parts of the Church and he was respected and appreciated by all the Church members that were fortunate enough to come under his kindly influence.
"Brother McKay loved people and people loved him. He was firm in his faith, but tolerant of others who did not believe as he did. He felt there was a goodness in all men.
"He loved the outdoors and knew that to spend a few hours on some of our beautiful mountain streams with a fishing rod was a good cure for much of the evil that is in the world. I have no fear of the outcome.
"In Luke we read, 'Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
''And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
''And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
“And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
" 'And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?'
'' 'He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.' (Luke 24:1-6.)
" 'Why seek ye the living among the dead?' The body of Brother McKay is here. He has taken care of it, and it has served him well, but like a cloak he has now laid it off because it has become incapacitated. It needs the healing powers of the great creative forces. Hence, it will be laid away for that purpose, but the spirit lives, Thomas E. McKay lives and will continue to live and be active there as he was here."
President David O. McKay and the following sisters, Mrs. George R. (Elizabeth) Hill, Mrs. Joel (Catherine) Ricks, Mrs. Joseph H. (Jeannette) Morrell, and Mrs. Thomas (Annie) Farr, survive in addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren. This closely knit family and the entire Church sorrow at the passing of Elder Thomas Evans McKay. Always the gentleman, always the respecter of persons, Elder McKay will be missed, but the force of his influence will be felt in the lives of those whom he has known and led to a greater understanding of the abundant life.
Young, Clifford E. "In Memoriam - Elder Thomas E. McKay." Relief Society Magazine. March 1958. pg. 155-156.
In Memoriam Elder Thomas E. McKay
(October 29, 1875—January 15, 1958)
Elder Clifford E. Young Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
IN the passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay, one of the Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve, the Church has lost a valiant witness of the truth, and the State a valued, loyal citizen.
Brother McKay was the son of David and Jeannette Evans McKay and was born in Huntsville, Utah, October 29, 1875. His parents were converts to the Church, his father having come from Scotland, his mother from Wales. He was a brother of our beloved President David O. McKay and between these two there was an affectionate bond comparable to that of Jonathan and David of old. Brother McKay often paid affectionate tribute to his parents. They were pioneers in the Ogden Valley and stalwarts in the Church. The son, Thomas, having come from such excellent parents reflected throughout his life their integrity and strength of character.
He served as a missionary, stake president, twice President of the Swiss-German Mission, and acting president of the European Mission during World War II. At the April Conference in 1941, he was called to be one of the Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve.
In his ministry throughout the Church, Brother McKay was loved and respected by all who had the privilege of knowing him and feeling a love and confidence in the work of the Lord which he reflected in his everyday life. He was firm in his counsel for the truth, but had a kindly manner so that the most sensitive took no exceptions to his reproofs. He was one who reproved with sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, then showed forth an increase of love toward him whom he had perchance reproved. His faithfulness was stronger than the cords of death, and he was full of charity towards all men. In very deed virtue garnished his thoughts unceasingly. (See D&C 121:43, 45.)
Brother McKay never spoke unkindly of anyone. He was strong in his convictions, religiously and politically, but withal, did not question the motives of those who did not agree with him.
In his public service integrity was his watchword, always loyal and true to the trust the people imposed in him. He gave long and faithful service to the State.
To his family he was a loving, devoted husband and father. His wife and children were constantly in his thoughts. His love and devotion to Sister McKay will ever be a source of inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to come in the intimacy of his family circle.
Jesus taught us not only the way of life—the abundant life, with all the virtues that make life so sweet, but also the way of death; that death is not the end, but the beginning of a new life; that there is in reality no death of the spirit; that we take up over there, "behind the veil,” where we leave off here.
I pay loving tribute to this great man. We who knew Brother McKay will miss him, but his life, his integrity, his devotion to every trust will ever be a source of inspiration to all of us. In his passing there was released from this life a great soul.
In Memoriam Elder Thomas E. McKay
(October 29, 1875—January 15, 1958)
Elder Clifford E. Young Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
IN the passing of Elder Thomas E. McKay, one of the Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve, the Church has lost a valiant witness of the truth, and the State a valued, loyal citizen.
Brother McKay was the son of David and Jeannette Evans McKay and was born in Huntsville, Utah, October 29, 1875. His parents were converts to the Church, his father having come from Scotland, his mother from Wales. He was a brother of our beloved President David O. McKay and between these two there was an affectionate bond comparable to that of Jonathan and David of old. Brother McKay often paid affectionate tribute to his parents. They were pioneers in the Ogden Valley and stalwarts in the Church. The son, Thomas, having come from such excellent parents reflected throughout his life their integrity and strength of character.
He served as a missionary, stake president, twice President of the Swiss-German Mission, and acting president of the European Mission during World War II. At the April Conference in 1941, he was called to be one of the Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve.
In his ministry throughout the Church, Brother McKay was loved and respected by all who had the privilege of knowing him and feeling a love and confidence in the work of the Lord which he reflected in his everyday life. He was firm in his counsel for the truth, but had a kindly manner so that the most sensitive took no exceptions to his reproofs. He was one who reproved with sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, then showed forth an increase of love toward him whom he had perchance reproved. His faithfulness was stronger than the cords of death, and he was full of charity towards all men. In very deed virtue garnished his thoughts unceasingly. (See D&C 121:43, 45.)
Brother McKay never spoke unkindly of anyone. He was strong in his convictions, religiously and politically, but withal, did not question the motives of those who did not agree with him.
In his public service integrity was his watchword, always loyal and true to the trust the people imposed in him. He gave long and faithful service to the State.
To his family he was a loving, devoted husband and father. His wife and children were constantly in his thoughts. His love and devotion to Sister McKay will ever be a source of inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to come in the intimacy of his family circle.
Jesus taught us not only the way of life—the abundant life, with all the virtues that make life so sweet, but also the way of death; that death is not the end, but the beginning of a new life; that there is in reality no death of the spirit; that we take up over there, "behind the veil,” where we leave off here.
I pay loving tribute to this great man. We who knew Brother McKay will miss him, but his life, his integrity, his devotion to every trust will ever be a source of inspiration to all of us. In his passing there was released from this life a great soul.
"He Was There to Help." Instructor. April 1958. pg. 104-105.
When difficulties arose . . . He Was there To Help
THOMAS E. McKAY
A YOUNGER brother of President David O. McKay, Thomas Evans McKay, was born Oct. 29, 1875, in Huntsville, Weber County ( Utah ) , to David and Jennette Evans McKay. He was graduated in 1899 from the University of Utah.
Before he was called in 1900 to serve on a mission in Germany, he was principal of Pingree School ( Ogden, Utah ) . After his mission, he taught two years at Weber Academy, Ogden, and two years at Utah State Agricultural College, Logan, Utah. Still later he was superintendent of Weber County schools.
Elder McKay was a member of the Weber Stake Sunday School board in 1899. He was called in 1909 to preside over the Swiss-German Mission, a position he held a second time from 1937 to 1940. Prior to serving as mission president. Elder McKay was second counselor in the Ogden Stake presidency and from 1919 to 1937 was president of that stake. In 1939, he was called also to preside over the Swiss and German Missions.
He was appointed in 1941 as acting president of European missions with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. With no missionaries in Europe, Elder McKay managed affairs of the Church there as well as war conditions permitted. The same year, he was appointed one of the first five Assistants to the Council of the Twelve.
In the Utah Legislature, he represented Weber County in 1919, 1921 and 1923 and served two sessions as president of the state senate. He then was appointed to the Utah Public Service Commission, a position he held until 1937.
Since April, 1941, Elder McKay had been an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. He died Jan. 15, 1958, following a prolonged illness.
He married Fawn Brimhall on Sept. 11, 1912, and to them were born four daughters and a son. Survivors include his widow, children, and 18 grandchildren.
ELDER THOMAS E. McKAY’S mission has been ended, and he has returned home to a more important calling of Our Father. An Assistant to the Council of the Twelve from 1941 to his death, Jan. 15, 1958, he gave humble, devout, effective service to and leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His friendly attitude and sincere handshake welcomed people. Thus he made and retained firm friendships. Should you not have known Elder McKay, here are three who would tell you of this gentle leader:
He Gave a Helping Hand
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6.)
WHEN Thomas Evans McKay was a small boy, his father, David McKay, was called on a mission to Scotland, the father's birthplace. David was asked to be ready to leave in April. The father wanted to wait till after the crops were planted and until another child Thomas's mother, Jennette Evans McKay was carrying, could be born.
After the family, consisting of Brother and Sister David McKay and three children—David O., 7 ½; Thomas E., 5 ½; and Jeanette, 3—had knelt around the supper table for family prayer, Father McKay voiced the thought of delaying the time of leaving. Said Mother McKay, "The call from the Lord was for April. He needs you now, not a year from now. My little men will see that we get along all right."
Young Thomas E. looked up with his wide-open, blue eyes as did his older brother and said "We'll help you mother."
Thomas E. idolized his mother and father, his brother and baby sister. Being called by his mother, "my little men," made a profound impression upon him.
The boys were assigned the numerous chores which needed to be done around a farm home with father gone. There were the oxen, cows and pigs to feed, cows to milk, the day's supply of wood to get in, and many other chores to do.
In love, Mother McKay assigned each boy his task and followed up each daily, to see that it was done on time. If the older boy would stay too long, playing ball after school, the mother would sometimes scold him for not getting his chores done on time.
Thomas E. made it a practice to hurry home, do his own chores, and then help David O. with his chores so that he would not get a scolding for being late with them. This brotherly love intensified over the years. Always, when David O. needed help, there was brother Thomas E. with that help.
Thomas E. McKay loved people. The people loved him. When his large funeral cortege passed the meetinghouse and the old home in Huntsville, there was Arnold Renstrom ringing the beloved Church bell. There was Verlan Braithwaite with his violin to play "Home on the Range" and "Nearer My God to Thee" at the cemetery. There was Bishop Louis E. Buhrley to express love and to dedicate the grave.
The people of Huntsville turned out in mass as their beloved citizen and former stake [Ogden] president was brought to his final resting place in the Huntsville cemetery.
—George R. Hill, General Superintendent, Deseret Sunday School Union.
He Loved Humanity
PRESIDENT THOMAS E. McKAY had a love for all humanity. He never said a disrespectful word of anyone so far as I know.
The people in the area of the old Ogden Stake admired him for his many fine traits of character. I, with others, revered and loved him for many reasons such as:
His devotion to his calling in the Church.
There was no question or doubt about his testimony of the truth of the Gospel.
His leadership ability commanded respect and honor.
He made many friends through his ability to get along with people.
He was a real gentleman in all situations.
One always felt at ease in his presence.
His devotion to his family, and his kind consideration for his wife were very noticeable.
He was always approachable and everyone felt free to come to him for advice and counsel.
His friendly attitude and sincere handshake welcomed people into his company.
He was one with the people and enjoyed mingling with them.
—William A. Budge, Patriarch, Lorin Farr Stake, and Assistant Vice-president of the Commercial Security Bank of Ogden, Utah.
He Was Patient and Kind
IN speaking of Thomas E. McKay, I am not backward in saying, "I loved him more than any man I have known." He loved God, and he made it evident by his love of me and all who had reasons to associate with him.
In his presence, I kept up my guard to keep from offending him or reducing his faith in me. I could be counted on to "fess up" to the truth and live above reproach because of his influence. He could take me by the hand and look into my eyes and demand the truth and he got it. He v/as my teacher when I was a boy, and he became my inspiration and adviser.
As a philosopher, he did not seek to excite wonder but to make plain and understandable that which was wonderful. He was patient and kind, to both man and animals.
—Arnold P. Renstrom, a friend.
He Remained Faithful
ELDER Thomas E. McKay, like Nephi of old, could truly say that he was born of goodly parents; and, like all great men, he always gave his parents credit for the good start they gave him in life and the valuable lessons they taught him as a boy.
One of his favorite stories was told about his mother, when as a very young man he left on his first mission. The last thing she said to him as he boarded the train for his field of labor was, "Thomas, come back clean." The promise that he made his mother on that occasion helped him to remain faithful and true all the days of his life.
—Laurence S. Burton, President of Ogden Stake.
When difficulties arose . . . He Was there To Help
THOMAS E. McKAY
A YOUNGER brother of President David O. McKay, Thomas Evans McKay, was born Oct. 29, 1875, in Huntsville, Weber County ( Utah ) , to David and Jennette Evans McKay. He was graduated in 1899 from the University of Utah.
Before he was called in 1900 to serve on a mission in Germany, he was principal of Pingree School ( Ogden, Utah ) . After his mission, he taught two years at Weber Academy, Ogden, and two years at Utah State Agricultural College, Logan, Utah. Still later he was superintendent of Weber County schools.
Elder McKay was a member of the Weber Stake Sunday School board in 1899. He was called in 1909 to preside over the Swiss-German Mission, a position he held a second time from 1937 to 1940. Prior to serving as mission president. Elder McKay was second counselor in the Ogden Stake presidency and from 1919 to 1937 was president of that stake. In 1939, he was called also to preside over the Swiss and German Missions.
He was appointed in 1941 as acting president of European missions with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. With no missionaries in Europe, Elder McKay managed affairs of the Church there as well as war conditions permitted. The same year, he was appointed one of the first five Assistants to the Council of the Twelve.
In the Utah Legislature, he represented Weber County in 1919, 1921 and 1923 and served two sessions as president of the state senate. He then was appointed to the Utah Public Service Commission, a position he held until 1937.
Since April, 1941, Elder McKay had been an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. He died Jan. 15, 1958, following a prolonged illness.
He married Fawn Brimhall on Sept. 11, 1912, and to them were born four daughters and a son. Survivors include his widow, children, and 18 grandchildren.
ELDER THOMAS E. McKAY’S mission has been ended, and he has returned home to a more important calling of Our Father. An Assistant to the Council of the Twelve from 1941 to his death, Jan. 15, 1958, he gave humble, devout, effective service to and leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His friendly attitude and sincere handshake welcomed people. Thus he made and retained firm friendships. Should you not have known Elder McKay, here are three who would tell you of this gentle leader:
He Gave a Helping Hand
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6.)
WHEN Thomas Evans McKay was a small boy, his father, David McKay, was called on a mission to Scotland, the father's birthplace. David was asked to be ready to leave in April. The father wanted to wait till after the crops were planted and until another child Thomas's mother, Jennette Evans McKay was carrying, could be born.
After the family, consisting of Brother and Sister David McKay and three children—David O., 7 ½; Thomas E., 5 ½; and Jeanette, 3—had knelt around the supper table for family prayer, Father McKay voiced the thought of delaying the time of leaving. Said Mother McKay, "The call from the Lord was for April. He needs you now, not a year from now. My little men will see that we get along all right."
Young Thomas E. looked up with his wide-open, blue eyes as did his older brother and said "We'll help you mother."
Thomas E. idolized his mother and father, his brother and baby sister. Being called by his mother, "my little men," made a profound impression upon him.
The boys were assigned the numerous chores which needed to be done around a farm home with father gone. There were the oxen, cows and pigs to feed, cows to milk, the day's supply of wood to get in, and many other chores to do.
In love, Mother McKay assigned each boy his task and followed up each daily, to see that it was done on time. If the older boy would stay too long, playing ball after school, the mother would sometimes scold him for not getting his chores done on time.
Thomas E. made it a practice to hurry home, do his own chores, and then help David O. with his chores so that he would not get a scolding for being late with them. This brotherly love intensified over the years. Always, when David O. needed help, there was brother Thomas E. with that help.
Thomas E. McKay loved people. The people loved him. When his large funeral cortege passed the meetinghouse and the old home in Huntsville, there was Arnold Renstrom ringing the beloved Church bell. There was Verlan Braithwaite with his violin to play "Home on the Range" and "Nearer My God to Thee" at the cemetery. There was Bishop Louis E. Buhrley to express love and to dedicate the grave.
The people of Huntsville turned out in mass as their beloved citizen and former stake [Ogden] president was brought to his final resting place in the Huntsville cemetery.
—George R. Hill, General Superintendent, Deseret Sunday School Union.
He Loved Humanity
PRESIDENT THOMAS E. McKAY had a love for all humanity. He never said a disrespectful word of anyone so far as I know.
The people in the area of the old Ogden Stake admired him for his many fine traits of character. I, with others, revered and loved him for many reasons such as:
His devotion to his calling in the Church.
There was no question or doubt about his testimony of the truth of the Gospel.
His leadership ability commanded respect and honor.
He made many friends through his ability to get along with people.
He was a real gentleman in all situations.
One always felt at ease in his presence.
His devotion to his family, and his kind consideration for his wife were very noticeable.
He was always approachable and everyone felt free to come to him for advice and counsel.
His friendly attitude and sincere handshake welcomed people into his company.
He was one with the people and enjoyed mingling with them.
—William A. Budge, Patriarch, Lorin Farr Stake, and Assistant Vice-president of the Commercial Security Bank of Ogden, Utah.
He Was Patient and Kind
IN speaking of Thomas E. McKay, I am not backward in saying, "I loved him more than any man I have known." He loved God, and he made it evident by his love of me and all who had reasons to associate with him.
In his presence, I kept up my guard to keep from offending him or reducing his faith in me. I could be counted on to "fess up" to the truth and live above reproach because of his influence. He could take me by the hand and look into my eyes and demand the truth and he got it. He v/as my teacher when I was a boy, and he became my inspiration and adviser.
As a philosopher, he did not seek to excite wonder but to make plain and understandable that which was wonderful. He was patient and kind, to both man and animals.
—Arnold P. Renstrom, a friend.
He Remained Faithful
ELDER Thomas E. McKay, like Nephi of old, could truly say that he was born of goodly parents; and, like all great men, he always gave his parents credit for the good start they gave him in life and the valuable lessons they taught him as a boy.
One of his favorite stories was told about his mother, when as a very young man he left on his first mission. The last thing she said to him as he boarded the train for his field of labor was, "Thomas, come back clean." The promise that he made his mother on that occasion helped him to remain faithful and true all the days of his life.
—Laurence S. Burton, President of Ogden Stake.