News Story

Elder Russell M. Nelson Marries Wendy L. Watson

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Wendy L. Watson were married today in the Salt Lake Temple. This is the second marriage for Elder Nelson and the first for Wendy Watson.

Elder Nelson’s previous marriage was to Dantzel White Nelson, who died 12 February 2005. Their family includes 10 children, 56 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Ordained an Apostle on 12 April 1984, Elder Nelson received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Utah and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. A renowned surgeon and medical researcher, Elder Nelson served as the former president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and also as former chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association.

Wendy L. Watson, originally of Raymond, Alberta, Canada, is the daughter of the late Leonard David and Laura McLean Watson. She is a professor of marriage and family therapy in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University (BYU) and will retire 1 May 2006. She received her R.N. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, her B.A. from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, her M.Sc. from BYU, and her Ph.D. from the University of Calgary. She served as chair of BYU Women’s Conference for 1999 and 2000, and is the author of several books and addresses recorded on CD, including Rock Solid Relationships and Things Are Not Always as They Appear.

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.