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.