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KSL Team CoverageThousands of people lined up around the LDS Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City to pay their respects to President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nearly 21,000 visitors came yesterday for the public viewing. Many were very emotional, and the same is true for today. Visitors were deeply touched and, despite the snowy weather and cold temperatures, determined to pay their respects.
The crowds kept coming and coming. When the viewing was supposed to end at 7:00 this evening, with lines still three to four hours long, no one was turned away from being able to bid farewell to their beloved prophet. It was after nine o'clock before everyone who was in line made it inside of the Conference Center; and it may be close to midnight before everyone has their chance to pass by the casket.
It is hard to describe the overwhelming response we've witnessed tonight. People have spent more than two hours outside in below freezing temperatures, and then another two hours inside, waiting for their chance to pay their final respects to President Gordon B. Hinckley.
People started lining up at 9:00 this morning, and as the day went on, the mourners just kept coming. As the sun set around 5:30 this evening, two lines completely surrounded the Conference Center, and people kept coming until 7:00 tonight, when the viewing was scheduled to end.
"He's a wonderful prophet. He's affected our lives. We love him," said Anna Lee Wadsworth, of Fallon, Nev.
"It was just a little bit of closure for me, so it was nice to come and pay tribute and feel the Spirit and see his body," said Marisa Roberts, of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
After spending four hours in line for just a couple of minutes in the Hall of the Prophets, people walked out of the Conference Center expressing appreciation for their brief moment to pass by his casket, which they called a memorable experience.
Julia Rawlings said, "I was here for four and a half hours, but it was really worth the wait. There was a lot of people inside, we were watching a video of President Hinckley's birthday, and I think it was a great opportunity to be together and celebrate his life."
Neal Randall said, "We passed around, and what was really cool about it was that the temple was right by it, and so you could get a pretty good picture of the temple and him."
"Just the beautiful spirit that he had, and his humor, and just the love that he always showed and we always felt when we saw him," said Becky Adams, of Hurricane.
"I think he taught so much about women and what we all need to do to be all that we can be, and he was constantly reminding women that they are choice and loved daughters of their Heavenly Father. And he gave us all courage and strength to move forward and do the things we need to do with our children and our husbands and in the community and the world," said Barbra Spuhler, of Bountiful.
A volunteer host at the Conference Center told us that over the two days, everyone in the line has been very patient, despite the crowds and the cold. He called it a fitting tribute to the memory of President Hinckley.
At one point, President Hinckley's daughters' voices were heard over the loudspeakers. Choking back a few tears, they thanked people here for the tributes they're paying and said if their father were here, they think he'd say something like, "What's all the fuss about? Go on with your lives. Do your work."
President Hinckley's funeral will be held tomorrow morning at 11:00 in the Conference Center. If you can't make it to the funeral, you can watch it on KSL Channel 5 or listen to it on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM. You can also watch the funeral live on KSL.com.
For more information on KSL's full coverage of President Hinckley's funeral, click the related link.
