Vaughn J. Featherstone

Vaughn J. Featherstone was an emeritus General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on October 1, 1976, and served until October 6, 2001, when he was granted emeritus status. Prior to that calling, he served as the Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric from April 6, 1972, until his call to the Seventy.

Featherstone was born on March 23, 1931, in Stockton, Utah, and raised in Salt Lake City. His mother was not a member of the Church and his father was not active in the Church. His parents divorced while he was growing up. His first association with the Church was when a friend invited him to Primary. He recalls, “I remember the Blazer class. We had a checklist of different accomplishments. One of them was baptism. I hadn't been baptized—but I wanted to be because I wanted that space on the checklist filled. My mother, a great supporter of mine, gave me permission; she later joined the Church, as did my brothers and sisters.”[1]

After his Sunday School teacher told him that he would gain a testimony if he read and studied the Book of Mormon, he followed his counsel. “Reading through tears, I actually felt as if I were there when these great things took place. When I finished, all I could do was kneel down and thank the Lord for my testimony, because then I knew the gospel was true.”[2]

Because of the Korean War, each ward was permitted to send only one young man on a mission, so Featherstone did not serve as a missionary. However, throughout his life, he has served as a stake president, on missionary committees, and served as the Young Men general president from 1985 to 1990. He served in area presidencies in the Philippines and the Pacific and served as president of the Texas San Antonio Mission. He served as president of the Logan Utah Temple from 2002 to 2005. He also served as a Scoutmaster.

Although he did not graduate from college, he had a successful career as an executive in a supermarket chain. He and his wife, Merlene, had five sons.

He died at his home in Bountiful, Utah, on May 12, 2018. His wife, Merlene, passed away on July 21, 2022.