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Lori Prichard reportingFrom a billionaire capitalist to the common man, President Monson has left an indelible mark on his good friends and neighbors.
I heard time and again today stories of President Monson's love of the outdoors, his animals, and uncanny ability to fly fish. And I heard those stories from some of the people who know President Monson best.
With a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, Jon Huntsman Sr. talked to us about his dear friend and now leader of millions of LDS faithful.
"He's got this great heart. It's an incredibly large heart. It's almost as large as he is. People love him," Huntsman said.
That heart, Huntsman says, radiates.
"He's always upbeat and positive and happy and cheerful. These are traits that I have loved and other people have loved about him. He is truly a wonderful and radiant man," Huntsman said.
But he's also down to earth, some say "folksy."
"He loves to talk and exchange stories about his pigeons and fishing, and about raising the rabbits, about how he grew up," Huntsman said.
Mark Shumway has been President Monson's friend and neighbor for 46 years. He describes President Monson as "a very good friend." "When he moved here, he had two hunting dogs. Periodically they would be out running around. They often came and got into our garbage can. I said to my son, 'What do you do when you have your neighbor's dog in your garbage can and he's a member of the general authorities?'" Shumway laughed.
Shumway says he's so proud to have witnessed his friend of so many years grow within the Church. "Isn't that exciting! He will be an excellent president," Shumway said.
A president who can reach out to the common man, Shumway says, because his roots are just as common.
"He always loved animals. He gave us rabbits. He often brought us eggs, fresh eggs from the chickens. [He] just really was a nice neighbor to have," Shumway said.
Another neighbor we spoke with says he would always know when President Monson was back home from a trip because he would see the pigeons flying above the Monson house.
