Delbert Leon Stapley was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1950 to 1978.

Early life

Stapley was born in Mesa

Mesa, Arizona

According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...

, Arizona Territory

Arizona Territory

The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....

. As a youth, he rejected a chance at playing Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 so he could serve a mission

Missionary (LDS Church)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...

 in the southern United States and because he didn't want to play on Sunday, the day Latter-day Saints observe as the Sabbath

Sabbath

Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...

. He remained active throughout his life, his favorite sport being golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

.

Calling

He was a stake president for only three years before receiving a call to the apostleship on September 30, 1950. Stapley was sustained on October 5, 1950 at the October general conference

General conference (Mormonism)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, a general conference is a meeting for all members of the church for conducting general church business and instruction....

 of the church to fill the vacancy caused by the passing of George F. Richards

George F. Richards

George Franklin Richards was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9, 1906 until his death...

. Stapley was notified of his new calling by Church President George Albert Smith

George Albert Smith

George Albert Smith, Sr. was the eighth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...

 in the elevator bank of the Hotel Utah.

Views on civil rights

A letter sent by Stapley is illustrative of his perspective regarding blacks of African descent, before they were more widely assimilated into the LDS Church. Dated January 23, 1964, the letter urges then-Michigan Governor

Governor of Michigan

The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...

 George W. Romney

George W. Romney

George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...

 to back away from certain positions favoring civil rights, calling a then-current civil rights bill "vicious legislation." Romney is reported to have accelerated his engagement in the civil rights cause shortly after receiving the letter.

Like those of many, Stapley's views changed with time and, from his hospital bed, Stapley sustained the First Presidency's action on June 8, 1978 that all worthy men receive the priesthood, regardless of race.

Death

Stapley delivered his last conference address in October 1977. The following April conference he was too ill to attend.

Stapley died on August 19, 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

. He suffered cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...

 at about noon while walking near his home.

At the time of his death, he was third apostle in line to the presidency of the church. His vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve was filled by James E. Faust

James E. Faust

James Esdras Faust was an American religious leader, lawyer, and politician. Faust was Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 until his death, an LDS Church apostle for 29 years, and a general authority of the church for 35...

.

External links

• Biography by Grampa Bill
• News Item on Passing in Ensign
• The Blessings of Righteous Obedience, his last conference talk.