Elder Allan F. Packer

Of the Seventy

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Elder Allan Forrest Packer remembers that as a boy of 10 or 12, he didn’t always feel that he was getting answers to his prayers. One day while working with his father, Boyd K. Packer, now President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, young Allan expressed his concern.

His father taught him by analogy, saying that pilots don’t use their parachutes every time they fly, but they are still in the practice of wearing them. President Packer encouraged his son to continue to pray, to be patient, and to have the faith that when an answer was needed, he would have one.

“That lesson helped me through the early years of developing my testimony,” says Elder Packer, recently called to the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Elder Packer was born in Brigham City, Utah, USA, on July 7, 1948, to Boyd Kenneth Packer and Donna Smith Packer. Although he and his wife, Terri Bennett Packer, are both native Utahns, they met in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, where they attended high school. Following Elder Packer’s mission to the Andes Mission and Colombia-Venezuela Mission, he and Terri were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1970. They are the parents of 8 children and have 17 grandchildren.

Elder Packer received a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology from Brigham Young University. He has worked in business and has served as a vice president for several companies.

Elder Packer has also served in numerous Church callings, including bishop, Scoutmaster, counselor in a stake presidency, president of the Spain Málaga Mission, and as a Young Men general board member.

“I know the work is true,” Elder Packer says. “The Savior is our Redeemer. He opened the door and gave us the opportunity to return to our Father. I’m honored to be able to help Him do His work.”