Oscar Leslie Stone (May 28, 1903 – April 26, 1986) was a general authority of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) from 1972 until his death. He was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the church's

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...

from 1968 to 1972. Stone was born in Chapin,

Teton County, Idaho Teton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,630. The county seat is Driggs, and the largest city is Victor. The county was established in 1915 and was named after the Teton Mounta ...

, but was raised mainly in nearly Driggs. In 1920, he graduated from

Brigham Young High School Brigham Young High School was a private high school in Provo, Utah, United States, first known as Brigham Young Academy (BYA). The school later became attached to Brigham Young University (BYU) with its official name being Brigham Young Universit ...

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

. Following graduation, he went to work for a bank in

Price, Utah Price is a city in the U.S. state of Utah and the county seat of Carbon County, Utah, Carbon County. The city is home to Utah State University Eastern, as well as the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum. Price is located within short distances of both ...

. He then went back to Idaho to work in Blackfoot City Bank. He was also involved in selling Model Ts, and ran two dance halls. In 1924, he married Dorothy Cobbley, who had helped him become more involved in the LDS Church, in the Salt Lake Temple. He then took a position as a partner in a store in

Susanville, California Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) is a town in and the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the southern part of the county, at an elevation of . Its population is 16,728 a ...

along with his father and brother. Through expansion and merger, he ended up heading 75 stores and living in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. In 1931, Stone joined

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

stores and advanced to being a vice president, living and working out of

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. In 1946, Stone joined with M. B. Skaggs in forming Skaggs-Stone Wholesale Company. The business merged with McKesson-Robbins in 1963, and for two years, Stone remained chairman of the board of the new company. Stone was elected chairman of the

Samuel Merritt Dr Samuel Merritt (1822–1890) was a physician and the 13th mayor of Oakland, California, from 1867–1869. He was a founding Regent of the University of California, 1868-1874. He was also a shipmaster and a very successful businessman; he die ...

Hospital Development Fund in 1963, and president of the United Employers' Association of Oakland in 1962. In the LDS Church, Stone served as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Oakland 5th

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and as

of the Oakland-Berkeley

Stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

from 1957 to 1967. He was head of the Oakland Regional Welfare Program and involved with coordination around the building of the Oakland Temple, including being appointed chairman of the fund-raising committee. From 1963 to 1967, he was chairman of the Oakland Temple District, which covered

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and Northern California. In 1966, he was appointed chairman of the

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

alumni gifts committee. In 1967, he became a regional representative. From 1968 to 1972 he served as the president of the Salt Lake Temple and was then called as an

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1941 and 1976. As the title of t ...

; he was also managing director of the church music department. He served as an Assistant to the Twelve until 1976, when the church eliminated the position and Stone became a member of the

First Quorum of the Seventy First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

. In 1980, Stone was released from active duties and designated as an

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

general authority. In 1986, he died at his home in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Stone and his wife, Dorothy, had four sons. Two died fairly young. His son, Ronald V. Stone, served as

of the Argentina North

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

based in Cordoba, while their other son, Thomas R. Stone, was president of the French Polynesia Mission.

References

External links

Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: O. Leslie Stone1973 Ensign bio of O. Leslie Stone“Elder O. Leslie Stone Eulogized,”
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', June 1986, p. 72
“Solemn Assembly Sustains President Lee, Five New General Authorities,”
''

'', December 1972, p. 82 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, O. Leslie 1903 births 1986 deaths American general authorities (LDS Church) Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) People from Teton County, Idaho Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church) Regional representatives of the Twelve Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Religious leaders from Idaho Latter Day Saints from Idaho Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from California Latter Day Saints from Oregon Brigham Young High School alumni