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Camilla Eyring was born
the oldest of a large family on December 7, 1894, in the LDS
colony of Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Her parents were
Edward Christian Eyring and Caroline Romney. Camilla came from
a family of learners. She said that as a child there were books
everywhere in her home. "I’ve always had an enquiring
mind," she once stated, and recalled that her mother was
much the same and could actually knit stockings while she read
a book.
At the age
of 17 when Mexican revolutionaries threatened many of the Mormon
colonists in Colonia Juarez, Camilla was sent to Provo, Utah
to live with an uncle. While there, she studied home economics
at BYU then taught classes at the Millard Academy in central
Utah. It was always her belief that a well-rounded education
was a great help for women in caring for and training a family.
Later, Camilla joined her family in Arizona where they had moved,
taught home economics at Gila Academy and one Sunday attended
stake conference where a young, newly returned missionary gave
his mission report. That young man was Spencer W. Kimball. They
were married later that year on November 16th 1917.
Camilla’s
love of learning and life continued after she was married and
three sons and a daughter joined their home. In fact, she viewed
the home as a place of growth and learning, saying, "Anybody
who thinks being a wife and mother is a dull occupation doesn’t
take the daily challenges seriously. The family is the biggest
field for learning there is."
Through
these years, both Camilla and her husband kept busy with various
church callings along with community, school and family activities.
Then, in 1943, Brother Kimball was called to be an apostle and
the family moved to Utah. Upon learning of this new calling,
Camilla reportedly told her husband, "You can do it, Spencer.
You can do it." Nearly thirty years later, when he was
called to be the president of the church, Camilla’s response
was much the same.
During all
stages of Camilla’s life, she remained engaged in a variety
of activities. She was a Relief Society teacher for 20 years,
challenging her students to read a designated standard work
each year. She loved being a visiting teacher. She also loved
being a mother and took pride in being a homemaker, keeping
a home which was always modest, spotlessly clean and comfortable.
In later years, she made it a point to write each of her four
children a letter each Sunday, thus keeping the family ties
close.
Camilla
also continued her pursuit of learning, taking classes at nearby
universities, reading and studying on her own and taking every
opportunity to expand her knowledge in a variety of subjects.
In fact, President Hinckley once said that Sister Kimball was
a "shining example of the need to grow constantly, to stretch
the mind, to enlarge understanding. . ." This type of devotion
to education, home and family prompted the establishment of
the Camilla Eyring Kimball Chair of Home and Family life at
BYU in 1982.
President
Kimball’s years as a prophet of God were full of milestones
and challenges. He continually challenged church members to
"lengthen our stride" and "do it". Missionary
work and temple service expanded. The church continued to grow
worldwide and an important revelation extending the priesthood
to all worthy male members of the church was given. All these
events became important to Camilla as well. She understood the
pressures and great responsibilities of her husband’s
calling and tried to make their home "completely peaceful"
for him. She traveled with him, studied with him and when President
Kimball was plagued with health problems as he often was, Camilla
told people that "when he is well, I’m well."
After years
of faithful and instrumental service, President Kimball passed
away on November 5, 1985. Camilla lived nearly two years longer
before following her husband in death on September 20, 1987.
Her quest for learning and her love of life never faltered.
Her lifelong commitment to excellence remained with her until
the end. As she once said, "any woman should be alive to
opportunities–alive to public interests, to her family,
to growth from church service. Life is so interesting, it worries
me that I can’t get it all done. And I have no patience
with women whose lives ‘bore’ them." Just as
her husband had counseled the church, Camilla Kimball always
managed to lengthen her stride and "do it."
Sources
Quoted
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