“Elder Spencer H. Osborn of the First Quorum of the Seventy,” Ensign, May 1984, 95
Elder Spencer H. Osborn
of the First Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Spencer H. Osborn, sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on 7 April 1984, sat in his office at the Salt Lake Temple where he has been serving in the temple presidency. On his desk was a picture of his wife and seven children. Through the window could be seen the falling flakes of a spring snow storm.
“I will miss working here,” he said a little wistfully. “But I am delighted to be of service. I feel this new plan of short-term general authorities is inspired.”
“We received a call asking us to come for an interview with President Hinckley the next morning,” Elder Osborn said. “It was not a restful night.” Then when he issued the call “we were dumbfounded and numb.” But, as always, the Osborns had their answer ready. They were ready to accept the call.
Church service and heavy responsibility are not new to Elder Osborn and his wife, Avanelle. When they were married, they agreed to serve the Lord regardless of their situation and circumstance. As a young couple, they lived in Los Angeles, California, while Elder Osborn attended UCLA. At the young age of twenty-four, he was called to serve in a bishopric. Since that time he has served twenty-two years in the Granite Stake presidency—ten years as president; as mission president in the Florida Tallahassee Mission; as a counselor in the Salt Lake Mission Home; and as a full-time Regional Representative in the Philippines.
Elder Osborn recalls his work in the Philippines with fondness. “We saw a great work there,” he said. “During the sixteen months that we served there, we organized twelve stakes. The growth in the size of the Church and in the spirituality of the members was a real blessing.”
Through it all, Elder Osborn has received great strength and support from his wife and children. Sister Osborn has been by his side through many Church assignments and through the struggling first years of the now thriving Osborn Apparel Manufacturing Company, which he started with his brother. “If you ask me about my wife,” Elder Osborn says, “I will become misty-eyed. She is a great woman, full of dedication; she has always been totally supportive. She is talented and efficient as a homemaker.”
Sister Osborn, a lively woman with a smile on her face, says supporting her husband has been a joy. “When Spencer was in the stake presidency, we had seven children under the age of ten. It was not always easy, but it didn’t seem a burden to me. We just enjoyed the blessings that were ours.”
“She would have family home evening several times a week,” adds Elder Osborn. “I’d come home from a meeting, and they’d be singing around the piano or having a gospel discussion. It was a happy sight. I have always been grateful for such support.”
The Osborn’s seven children—David, Richard, Judith, Joseph, Mark, Patricia, and Camille—are also supportive of their father’s new call.
“I am committed to this great work of the restored gospel,” Elder Osborn concludes. “I know that God lives, and I know of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful for this call, for the opportunity to be of further service in the kingdom of our Father.”