Neil D. Schaerrer
Encyclopedia
Neil Dean Schaerrer was the fourteenth general president of the Young Men organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1977 to 1979.
Born in Payson
, Utah
, Schaerrer served as a LDS Church missionary
to Switzerland
from 1950 to 1953. He was the president
of the Austria
Vienna
Mission
of the church from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, Schaerrer established the LDS Church as a legal entity in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
.
In 1977, Schaerrer was asked to become the general president of the Young Men. The organization had not had a general president since Robert L. Backman
was released in 1974 and the organization was placed under the direct supervision of the church's presiding bishop
. Schaerrer served just two years, and in 1979 was succeeded by Backman, who by then had become a general authority
of the church. Schaerrer was the last non-general authority to serve as president of the Young Men until Charles W. Dahlquist II
was called in 2004.
Schaerrer was married to Jane Coon and was the father of four children. He was an attorney by profession, and died in Salt Lake City at the age of 54.
Born in Payson
Payson, Utah
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Schaerrer served as a LDS Church missionary
Mormon missionary
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...
to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from 1950 to 1953. He was the president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, Schaerrer established the LDS Church as a legal entity in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
.
In 1977, Schaerrer was asked to become the general president of the Young Men. The organization had not had a general president since Robert L. Backman
Robert L. Backman
Robert LeGrand Backman was a Utah lawyer and politician and has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1978....
was released in 1974 and the organization was placed under the direct supervision of the church's presiding bishop
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
. Schaerrer served just two years, and in 1979 was succeeded by Backman, who by then had become a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of the church. Schaerrer was the last non-general authority to serve as president of the Young Men until Charles W. Dahlquist II
Charles W. Dahlquist II
Charles Winston Dahlquist II was the general president of the Young Men organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2004 to 2009. He was the twentieth head of the LDS Church's Young Men organization....
was called in 2004.
Schaerrer was married to Jane Coon and was the father of four children. He was an attorney by profession, and died in Salt Lake City at the age of 54.