Oldest Mormon Apostle dies at 91

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon Church, has died at the age of 91.

Wirthlin died in his sleep late Monday night, the church said in a statement. He addressed the semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints in October and continued to work in his office until last week.

A son of a presiding bishop, Wirthlin grew up in Salt Lake City, the Deseret Morning News reported. He followed his father's footsteps by serving as a missionary in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from 1937 to 1939.

When he returned to Utah, he played football at the University of Utah, where he became engaged to Elisa Young Rogers. The couple married in 1941.

Before becoming a full-time member of the hierarchy, Wirthlin was a businessman. He became an apostle, joining the church's highest governing body, in 1986.

His wife died two years ago.

Wirthlin's children remember him as extremely organized and devoted to his family and church.

"Many times I would wake up and go downstairs, and see him studying the scriptures at 4:30 in the morning," his daughter, Elisabeth, said.