Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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born

November 23, 1911 in Nephi, Utah, The United States

died

April 06, 2004

genre

Religion & Spirituality

About this author

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Born Marjorie Pay on 23 November 1911, in Nephi, Utah, she was the first child of Phillip LeRoy and Georgetta Paxman Pay. She had four sisters and two brothers, but one brother died in infancy. The family moved to Salt Lake City in 1914 where Marjorie began her education. She graduated from East High School in 1929 and went to work at the Owens Illinois Glass Company performing secretarial duties.

As a young girl she was taught by her mother that the best husband for her would be one who loves the Lord. Marjorie met a young man with that qualification living right across the street from her family home. She and Gordon B. Hinckley were married on 29 April 1937 in the Salt Lake Temple by Elder Stephen L. Richards, a member of the Q...moreBorn Marjorie Pay on 23 November 1911, in Nephi, Utah, she was the first child of Phillip LeRoy and Georgetta Paxman Pay. She had four sisters and two brothers, but one brother died in infancy. The family moved to Salt Lake City in 1914 where Marjorie began her education. She graduated from East High School in 1929 and went to work at the Owens Illinois Glass Company performing secretarial duties.

As a young girl she was taught by her mother that the best husband for her would be one who loves the Lord. Marjorie met a young man with that qualification living right across the street from her family home. She and Gordon B. Hinckley were married on 29 April 1937 in the Salt Lake Temple by Elder Stephen L. Richards, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (President Hinckley was called to serve as an Assistant to the Twelve Apostles in April 1958, to the Quorum of the Twelve in September of 1961 and became the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 13 March 1995).

The young couple began their married life in Salt Lake City in a small farmhouse in Millcreek. President Hinckley was employed at Church headquarters in downtown Salt Lake, and Marjorie continued her employment at the glass company until the birth of their first child. As the family increased in size, the Hinckleys built a home on property down the lane from their first house, still in the rural East Millcreek area. By 1954 they were parents of five children, Kathleen, Richard, Virginia, Clark and Jane.

Marjorie was an energetic mother and made good use of humor to settle many of life's difficulties. She was often heard to say, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it." Marjorie loved being a mother and delighted in every moment with her children. She especially enjoyed the sound of the screen door slamming as the children ran in and out of the house. She was sad every fall when the children went back to school because she missed them so much during the day.

An avid reader, Marjorie encouraged her children to gain knowledge by studying and reading. As the family traveled in the car on vacations, she would read to them from the classics. Although her formal education was interrupted by economic stress during the depression, she encouraged her children to seek degrees in higher education. She was a student of the scriptures and often used the words of ancient and latter-day prophets to teach and inspire others.

Living in Utah most of her life, except for a brief time in Denver while her husband was working for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Marjorie had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the world. She developed a special appreciation for the people in the Far East. Hong Kong became a favorite city, and she was delighted when her children and their spouses were able to gather in Hong Kong with her and President Hinckley to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

A dedicated student of the lives of her ancestors, Marjorie delighted in the opportunity to share stories of their faith and devotion taken from her research and that of others. Searching for family names in genealogical facilities was a major part of her life. Pedigree charts, pictures and written histories were often visible in her home, and she used this acquired knowledge to encourage others in numerous public addresses.

She developed a close relationship with her 25 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren, who always knew she was just a telephone call away. They willingly consulted with her about the joys and challenges in their lives.

Marjorie Hinckley was recognized numerous times, having named for her the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Chair in Social Work and Social Science from Brigham Young University in April of 2003, and receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Utah Valley State College in April of 2001 and the heritage award during the cente(less)

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Books by Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Average rating: 4.52 · 1,508 ratings · 247 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Small and Simple Things 4.59 avg rating — 803 ratings — published 2003	My rating:
	Letters 4.44 avg rating — 666 ratings — published 2004 — 4 editions	My rating:
	To Women: Is This What I Was Born To Do? 4.62 avg rating — 32 ratings	My rating:
	Mothering: Everyday Choices, Eternal Blessings 4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 1996	My rating:

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Quotes by Marjorie Pay Hinckley

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.”
― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

tags: humour , wisdom

1,313 people liked it

“I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”
― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

397 people liked it

“We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.”
― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

132 people liked it

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Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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Quotes by Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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Books by Marjorie Pay Hinckley