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Oldest living Utah man celebrates 106 years

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By Jennifer Stagg

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=23684420

SALT LAKE CITY — Most of us have to read about what happened 100 years ago in a history book, but one Utah man has lived it.

Eldred Smith, a Salt Lake City man who celebrated his 106th birthday Wednesday, has a title no one else in the state has: He is oldest man in Utah.

In 1907, doctors performed the first successful blood transfusion and a bouncing baby boy named Eldred G. Smith entered the world. Fast forward more than a century, and Eldred is as sharp as ever — though he does get tired a little faster than he used to.

“What’s your secret to a long life?” I asked him, watching his eyes slowly open.

“Getting sleep, apparently,” Eldred said with a laugh.

This great-great-grandfather has lived a lot of life &38212; in years, and experience. During World War II, he worked as an engineer for a company that enriched uranium for the atomic bomb.

He is also the oldest and longest-serving general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And his own great-great-grandfather is Hyrum Smith, brother to the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith.

Eldred he spent years travelling, displaying church artifacts. KSL caught up with him when he was a spry 100-years-old.

“I tell ’em exercise is a waste of energy,” Eldred said during our 2007 interview. “I use my energy to accomplish something that gives me all the energy I need.”

He has outlived two spouses — his second sweetheart passed away in May 2012, at age 95. But he is still surrounded by his loving children and grandchildren down the line.

“He’s always talked about being around ‘till 110,” said daughter Miriam Skeen. “(He’s) one year closer.”

Eldred celebrated his birthday Wednesday surrounded by family and friends. Among his birthday visitors was LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson, who told Eldred’s family the biggest key to longevity is to just keep breathing.

Jennifer Stagg, Reporter

Mary Fielding Smith: Daughter of Britain

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http://deseretbook.com/Mary-Fielding-Smith-Daughter-Britain-Don-C-Corbett/i/b848

History is filled with the names of exceptional women, but few have exhibited the courage and faith of Mary Fielding Smith, the daughter of a Bedfordshire farmer-preacher, who left her native land and became a heroine in her own right. She became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada and then joined the body of Saints in the United States, witnessing the onslaught of intolerance against the Mormons in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.

As the wife of Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, she knew the joys of marriage only to have them abruptly terminated when a mob killed her husband. Mary Fielding Smith reveals the life of a courageous and inspiring woman. Her life was one of conflict, but this sharpened her determination, made her a fighter, and drove her to greater heights.

Written by Mary Fielding Smith’s descendant, Don Cecil Corbett, this is an LDS classic you won’t want to miss.

Hyrum Smith, Patriarch

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http://deseretbook.com/Hyrum-Smith-Patriarch-Pearson-H-Corbett/i/b791

by Pearson H. Corbett

“Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith,” said the Savior, “for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me” (D&C 124:15).

The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote of Hyrum, “I could pray in my heart that all my brethren were like unto my beloved brother Hyrum, for truly he possesses the mildness of a Lamb, and the integrity of Job; and in short the meek and quiet spirit, of Jesus Christ; and I love him with that love, that is stronger than death.”

This wonderful book reveals much that is little known about this devoted older brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It describes Hyrum’s role in the restoration of the gospel, his duties in the Church, his home life, his role in the building of the Kirtland Temple, his life in Nauvoo, and his martyrdom with Joseph, whom he refused to leave in the Carthage Jail.

Hyrum Smith-Patriarch is indeed a classic biography of one of the Church’s greatest yet most often overlooked leaders. It will continue to provide inspiration and understanding for years to come.