Henry Lunt, Obituaries

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HENRY LUNT

Obituaries

The obituary of Henry Lunt appeared in the Salt Lake City newspaper. The Deseret News, as follows;

Through the courtesy of Elder A. M. Musser, the News learns with regret of the demise of Elder Henry Lunt, an old and respected worker in the cause of Zion. He is well known in almost every part of Utah, has labored faithfully in the mission field at home and abroad, was prominent in the settlement of Iron County, and has resided for some time among our people in Old Mexico. The failure of his eyesight some years ago materially hindered his usefulness, but he was always cheerful and hopeful and recovered to some extent from his affliction. He lived to a good old age and is now relieved from the sufferings of his latest years when he was afflicted with cancer. He has gone to his rest, and his numerous friends, while experiencing sorrow at his departure, will be glad that he has finished his work with honor and that his pains and afflictions are now no more. Peace be to his remains, consolation to his bereaved family!

Obituary in cedar city

“Gone," was written in the Iron County Record.

Henry Lunt, Patriarch, Dies at His Home in Mexico A letter has been received in this city containing the sad announcement of the death of Patriarch Henry Lunt who passed away at his home in Mexico on the 22nd of January 1902. His death was brought on by a cancer on his right cheek from which he had been an intense sufferer for several months. He was a good and honorable man and near to the hearts of those who knew him. His death, therefore, has saddened the community in which he lived, although the sorrow is mitigated by reason of the fact that he was released from his terrible suffering.

Henry Lunt was born in Mickley Hall, Cheshire, England, on July 20, 1824, being, therefore, in his 77th year. He became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1849, at Birmingham, England, and on January 10, 1850 he emigrated to Utah. It seemed to have been his fate to be a pioneer, for in September of the year of his arrival in Salt Lake he was called to go to Parowan, Iron County, in company with Apostle George A. Smith. In October he was directed by Apostle Smith to take a company of men to Cedar City and assume charge of the settlement there. He was made a Counselor to President J. C. L. Smith of the Parowan Stake [Iron County Stake] in 1852 and in 1854 was called on a mission to England. As a missionary he was faithful and sincere and his diligent labors were crowned with success. He returned home in 1857 in charge of a company of Danish Saints. He acted as Bishop of the Cedar Ward for some time when he was made a Patriarch under the hands of President Young. Soon afterwards he was made counselor in the Presidency of the Parowan Stake and, subsequently. Bishop again.

In 1886 he went to England, taking his wife with him, but was only gone eight months.

With the idea that Mexico offered more advantages for him and his family, he broke up his home in Cedar City and started by team for the land of the Montezumas. After a long and wearisome journey through Arizona and New Mexico, he arrived at Colonia Pacheco, Chihuahua, Mexico on January 29, 1890. There he built him a home and remained the rest of his life.

Henry Lunt was a strong and intelligent man, true to his friends and charitable to his enemies, of which he had very few, indeed. Though he suffered greatly during the last few years of his life, he was patient, even cheerful, throughout it all and never permitted his affliction to become the burden of his theme. He was the type that made this new commonwealth strong and substantial, and he goes down into his grave full of years and virtues and his memory will always be esteemed in the midst of his people.

It was written of Henry, that he was a County selectman; mayor and City councilman, Cedar City; member of legislature and state militia; and farmer.

Henry died, January 22, 1902 at the age of 77 years, leaving a host of friends, a numerous posterity to mourn his loss.

As one reviews the life and labors of Henry Lunt, one is impressed with the fervent testimony that he frequently bore of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the great latter-day work. There was no hint of dissimulation in his testi¬mony but a conviction that it came from the inmost recesses of his heart.

When he was on his second mission to Europe in 1886, he bore this soul-stirring testimony, characteristic of the many he gave during his life¬time: "I wish to bear my testimony to the Saints of this land, and to the world, that I do know for myself that the gospel which Joseph Smith was the instrument in the hands of God of establishing upon the earth in the last days, is nothing more nor less than the restoration of the same gospel, with all its gifts, blessings, ordinances and authority, which Jesus and his apostles taught and administered in their day."

Again he said in a letter addressed to President Daniel H. Wells: "I have associated with the Latter-day Saints for over thirty-six years, and I will take this opportunity of again bear¬ing my testimony to the divine mis¬sion of Joseph Smith, the truthful¬ness and purity of the principles advocated by the servants of God, who are delegated with authority to operate and officiate in the ordi¬nances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught anciently by those worthy disciples of Christ."

This testimony he retained and bore witness to from the time he accepted the gospel in his native land until the angel of death called him from this mortal sphere at a time when age had silvered his hair, dimmed his eyesight, and slowed down his powers of movement.

He was an honest man; a sincere man; a courageous man. "He was as free from hypocrisy and deceit as it is possible for mortal man to be. The very intonation of his voice when speaking had a ring of sincer¬ity about it that penetrated the hearts of his hearers and they could not doubt the truth of his words. It is reported that while on a mission in England he took occasion to speak to an audience of the productivity of the soil in his adopted land, and as an example, he said: "Why, in Utah where I came from they raise potatoes as large as my foot." To make emphatic his statement he raised his foot in full view of the congregation. While it created some merriment, all were impressed with the sincerity of his remark. One young man was so much impressed by it that he began investigating Mormons, with the result that he be¬came converted and soon was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He stated that he was convinced that the Mormon elder told the truth about the potatoes grown in Utah from the earnestness with which he spoke, and that being true, his testimony concerning Mormonism most likely bore the stamp of reality.

Sources: Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah; The Gospel in Action; The Deseret News;

Iron County Record.