About Mark H. and Laura F. Willes
Mark Hinckley Willes was born and raised in Salt Lake City and has shared 64 joyful years of marriage with his high school sweetheart, Laura. Together, they are the proud parents of five children, and their growing posterity now includes 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Mark earned a B.A. in statistics from Columbia College and a PhD in economics and finance from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. His distinguished career includes service as assistant professor of finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, leadership roles at the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Minneapolis, and chief executive positions at General Mills and Times Mirror, where he also served as publisher of the Los Angeles Times. He later became president of Deseret Management Corporation where he concluded his career before retiring. Throughout his life, Mark has been on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards. In the Church, Mark has served as a counselor in a stake presidency, stake president, president of the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, MTC branch president, and Member Leader Support senior missionary.
Laura F. Willes, also a Salt Lake City native, graduated from West High School where she met Mark, and later earned a B.A. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Laura is also an accomplished author. Her works include Minnesota Mormons: A History of the Minnesota Stake; Community of Faith: A History of the La Crescenta, California Stake; Christmas with the Prophets; Miracle in the Pacific: A History of the Polynesian Cultural Center; and Bushels of Blessings (a children’s book of family history), along with numerous family biographies and articles in the Friend and Dialogue magazines. She has faithfully served in many Church callings, including as Primary president, Relief Society president at both ward and stake levels, Early Morning Seminary teacher, and Gospel Doctrine teacher. Alongside Mark, she served as a full-time missionary and “Mission Mom” in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, and later as a Member Leader Support senior missionary. She also volunteered for four years at the Provo MTC and served as a docent at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.
Brother and Sister Willes' remarks will be broadcast live on BYU-Idaho Weekly Devotionals and BYU-Idaho Radio.