J. Thomas Fyans

J. Thomas Fyans was a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was first sustained as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and served in that capacity from April 6, 1974, until October 1, 1976, when the positioned was discontinued and he was sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. On that date he was also sustained as one of the seven presidents in the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy and was released on October 6, 1985. He was designated as emeritus General Authority on September 30, 1989.

He served as president of the St. George Utah Temple from 1992 to 1995, and as president of the Uruguay Mission from 1960 to 1964. As a young man, he served as a missionary in the Spanish American Mission. He also served as a bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative.

In addition to his full-time Church service, Fyans was a Church employee for part of his career. He worked for ZCMI as general manager of the school office supply division for twenty years. After his service as a mission president, he was asked by the First Presidency to set up and oversee the translation department of the Church. He was also an administrative director in the Presiding Bishopric’s office and later the managing director of the Church’s internal communications department. For a time he was an administrator in an electronics corporation.

Fyans was born on May 17, 1918, in Moreland, Idaho. He and his wife, Helen, were the parents of five daughters. He died on May 18, 2008.

General Conference Talks of J. Thomas Fyans

• "The Book of Mormon's Witness of Jesus Christ," April 1987
• "Draw Near unto Me," October 1985
• "Who's on the Lord's Team," April 1984
• "The Pearl of Great Price," October 1982
• "Employment Challenges in the 1980s," April 1982
• "Seven Events of Great Consequence," October 1980
• "Priesthood Administration of Welfare Services," October 1979
• "Ours Is a Shared Ancestry," October 1978
• "Prepare Now for Your Mission," April 1977
• "The Lamanites Must Rise in Majesty and Power," April 1976
• "Make Haste to Obey," April 1975
• "Making Conferences Turning Points in Our Lives," October 1974
• "Commitment to Serve," April 1974
• "The Fullness of the Gospel in Each Man's Language," April 1972