President Jeffrey R. Holland Laid to Rest in His Beloved Hometown
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Beneath winter skies and gentle rain, President Jeffrey R. Holland was laid to rest on January 1, 2026, in the red-rock hometown that shaped his life, faith, and ministry. Hundreds lined the streets of St. George to honor the beloved Apostle and President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering a final tribute to a man whose voice, testimony, and compassion touched millions.
Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve joined family and friends at the St. George City Cemetery, where President Holland was interred beside his beloved wife, Patricia, who passed away in 2023. He was 85.
As the funeral procession moved through the city, it passed places deeply meaningful to President Holland’s life: the historic St. George Utah Temple, the Tabernacle, his childhood home, and the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons at Utah Tech University. Despite the rain, community members stood quietly along the route, many with bowed heads and folded arms, reflecting the reverence felt throughout the city.
In a particularly moving moment, approximately 250 missionaries from the Utah St. George Mission gathered near the temple and sang “Amazing Grace” as the hearse passed. Mission President Nels Thorderson noted the deep love missionaries felt for President Holland and their gratitude for the opportunity to honor him and his family.
Graveside services included an invocation by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and remarks from President Holland’s daughter, Mary Alice McCann, who reflected on her father’s boyhood roaming the red hills of St. George, his early love story with Patricia, and the generations of faith that shaped his life. She spoke of “ancestral grit and dedication” and of a man whose life was marked by an unwavering commitment to the Lord and His kingdom.
The service was conducted by President Holland’s son, David F. Holland, and the grave was dedicated by Elder Matthew S. Holland, General Authority Seventy.
President Holland passed away on December 27, 2025. Funeral services were held on December 31 at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where tributes highlighted his legacy as a teacher, scholar, father, and Apostle known for his eloquent testimony of Jesus Christ and his profound empathy for those who struggled.
Among those who gathered along the procession route were visitors and longtime admirers. Jay and Kari Manning of New Mexico paused their holiday visit to pay respects. “We love him and are grateful for all that he did,” Kari said. Jay added that President Holland’s teachings had profoundly influenced his life and service in the Church.
As St. George bid farewell to the apostle, the overwhelming sentiment was gratitude—for a life devoted to Christ, for words that lifted the weary, and for a legacy of faith that will endure well beyond the red hills where his journey began.