Barbara Ballard, wife of Latter-day Saint apostle President M. Russell Ballard, dies at 86
Barbara Ballard, wife of Latter-day Saint apostle President M. Russell Ballard, died at age 86 after a long battle with various health issues, including Alzheimer’s, according to officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Barbara Ballard was born and raised in Salt Lake City and attended the University of Utah where she studied English, church officials said. During her time at the university, she also met her husband, who now serves as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — one of the highest governing bodies in The Church of Jesus Christ.
President Ballard often joked that it took some convincing to get her to marry him after he met her at a “Hello Day Dance” hosted by the university.
“That was the beginning of a courtship of 11 months. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to marry her, but she didn’t share the same feelings. It was a little hard convincing her. I kid her now that getting her to agree to marry me was the greatest sales job I ever did,” he said.