Sterling Welling Sill (March 31, 1903 – May 25, 1994) was a general authority in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). He was an

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1941 to 1976. As the title suggest ...

from 1954 to 1976 and was a member of the

First Quorum of the Seventy Seventy is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints), Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesth ...

from 1976 to 1978. In 1978, he received general authority

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

status. Born in Layton,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, Sill was a

Mormon missionary Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and ...

in the southern

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from 1924 to 1926. Sill studied at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

and

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

. He later served as a member of the University of Utah Board of Regents for many years including several years as the chairman of that board. Prior to being called as a general authority, Sill served in many callings in the LDS Church, including ten years as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. He and his wife, Doris Mary Thornley, were the parents of three children. Leon R. Hartshorn. ''Outstanding Stories by General Authorities''. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1975) Vol. 3, p. 235 From his book "How to Personally Profit From the Laws of Success," comes this brief biography of Sterling's life:

"The story of Sterling W. Sill's life is a personal and financial success story. As his own experience attests: 'there is no such thing as a lack of opportunity. The important thing is to believe, and then take the first step.' Readers of Mr. Sill's twenty-one books and listeners to his many radio broadcasts will welcome this new volume... ...Entering the
insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...
business as a salesman for
New York Life New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company and the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States, and is ranked #69 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total rev ...
in 1927, he rose quickly in the company. Under his direction the Intermountain General Office became the largest office of the entire company in sales volume and remained so for many years. Mr. Sill served on the
Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...
at the
University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
and a building on the campus is named in his honor. He has also served as President of the Salt Lake Exchange Club and of the Salt Lake Association of Life
Underwriters Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liability ...
. He is listed in
Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...
, 1976-1977. The quality of courage which Sterling W. Sill esteems is not absent from his own life. In 1960 he was awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal for helping to save a thirteen year old boy from drowning in the ocean."

Bibliography

* Leadership (1958) * Leadership Vol 2 (1960) * The Glory of the Sun (1961) * The Upward Reach (1962) * The Law of the Harvest (1963) * The Way of Success (1964) * What Doth It Profit (1965) * The Miracle of Personality (1966) * The Quest for Excellence (1967) * The Power of Believing (1968) * The Three Infinities: To Know, To Do, To Be (1969) * The Strength of Great Possessions (1970) * Making the Most of Yourself (1971) * The Majesty of Books (1972) * The Keys to the Kingdom (1972) * Christmas Sermons (1973) * That Ye May Have Life (1974) * Thy Kingdom Come (1975) * The Law of Success (1975) * Power, Principles, and Promises (1975) * This Nation Under God (1976) * The Wealth of Wisdom (1977) * How to Personally Profit from the Laws of Success (1977) * Leadership Vol 3 (1978) * This We Believe (1979) * The Nine Life of Sterling W. Sill (1979) * Lessons from Great Lives (1981) * Meditations of Death and Life (1983) * The Best of Sterling W. Sill (1983) * The Power of Poetry (1984) * Great Literature and the Good Life (1985) * Our World of Wonders (1986)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sill, Sterling W. 1903 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Mormon missionaries American general authorities (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in the United States Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) People from Layton, Utah University of Utah alumni Utah State University alumni Latter Day Saints from Utah