‘This…is going to be fun’ — Cautious lawyer Dallin Oaks remembers Russell M. Nelson as a decisive, surprising LDS leader
President Russell Nelson’s children view him as a man who whistled and skipped — and never tired of church service.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles form a line as the casket for late church president Russell M. Nelson is brought into the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.
Tamarra Kemsley has been a reporter at The Tribune since 2021 but has been covering religion and politics since 2019. Her work has appeared in Religion News Service, the New York Post, and Religion & Politics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Brigham Young University and a master’s in Islamic studies from Hebrew University.
Hired in 1991 to cover Utah's various faiths, particularly Mormonism, Peggy has talked forgiveness with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, nearly fainted waiting for the Dalai Lama, fasted with Muslims during Ramadan — and has reported on 50 consecutive semiannual LDS General Conferences.