Merrill Dean Briggs

Merrill Dean Briggs passed away on November 16 201, in Anchorage Alaska.  He was born March 29, 1934, in Bountiful, Utah.  He was the third son of Clyde Leroy Briggs and Esther Thompson Briggs.   

He spent his childhood living in various small towns in Utah and later received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, majoring in sociology. He then went on to complete his masters degree in religious education at Brigham Young University.

He served a 3 1/2 year mission in New Zealand and was privileged to spend a small portion of that time working on the New Zealand College in preparation for the construction of the New Zealand temple.   

He married Janet Jensen on October 18, 1957, in the Salt Lake Temple.

Merrill spent his career working as a teacher and administrator for the LDS Church Education System.   

He and Janet are the parents of four children:

Kendall Durelle Briggs of Manhattan, New York; Candilyn Cluff (Gary) of Mesa, AZ; Kimberly Molano (Charles) of Alburtis, PA; and Kevin Briggs (Brittany) of Soldotna, Alaska.   They have 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

Merrill served as Bishop of the Hunter 5th Ward, Hunter, Utah (now West Valley); as Bishop of the Longview 1st Ward, Longview, WA; as the first stake president of the Soldotna Alaska Stake; and later as the patriarch of Soldotna Alaska Stake.   

He and Sister Briggs were called by President Gordon B. Hinckley to be the first temple president and matron of the Anchorage Alaska Temple in November 1998. They served in this capacity for six years.  He continued to be a sealer in the temple and was once again called as a patriarch, this time for the Anchorage Alaska Stake, serving until his release in 2016.

A private family burial will take place in the Bountiful City Cemetery, Bountiful, Utah.