Farewell to Mortality

On Saturday, April 6, 1985, Bruce R. McConkie spoke during the morning session of General Conference. His days were numbered—he was suffering from terminal cancer—and he concluded his address, "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane," with a powerful testimony that still echoes across the Mormon world today. Less than two weeks later he was dead.

Neal A. Maxwell's last Conference address in April 2004 deviated stylistically from every other talk he had ever given (according to this author's fallible background knowledge) as he reflected on his personal experiences. And even Gordon B. Hinckley's last words in October 2007 hinted that his time was nigh. (Granted, he was 97 and quietly battling cancer. But then again, both Elders Maxwell and McConkie—as mentioned—had cancer as well.)

These stylistic deviations, life's reflections, and strong testimonies are rather characteristic of Apostles' final conference addresses—their "farewells to mortality." Sometimes, though, talks that fit these characteristics are given by an Apostle who happens to still be around six months later for the next conference. Boyd K. Packer's April 2013 and April 2014 talks both had such characteristics and left people speculating that his time was up, but was alive for and spoke in subsequent conferences and didn't pass away until July 2015.