Excerpt from an article by  Carrie A. Moore Deseret News

      Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday at his home. He was 78.

Elder Maxwell was called as a general authority in 1974.
Elder Maxwell was ordained as an apostle on July 23, 1981.
Elder Maxwell was known as the faith's ultimate wordsmith.

He was a prolific author. He wrote 30 books. The recent he received a literary prize for LDS literature fore.
His writings also included many articles on politics and government.

He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996.

Elder Maxwell served as a member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1976 to 1981, and as an Assistant to the Twelve from 1974 to 1976 before being called as an apostle.

Elder Maxwell was executive vice president at the University of Utah at the time of his appointment as the Commissioner of Education for the Church Educational System, where he served from 1970 to 1976.

Prior to his Church callings, Elder Maxwell held a variety of administrative and teaching positions with the University of Utah and had earlier served as a legislative assistant to Sen. Wallace F. Bennett.

He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from the University of Utah.
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from U. in addition to other honorary degrees from Westminster College, Brigham Young University, Utah State University, Ricks College and Salt Lake Community College.

In 1998, the U. established the Neal A. Maxwell Presidential Endowed Chair in Political Theory, Public Policy, and Public Service.

Prior to his call to direct the Church's worldwide education system, he had served the Church in a variety of positions, including:

• bishop of Salt Lake City's University Sixth Ward;
• a member of the General Board of the Y.M.M.I.A., the Church's youth organization;
• a member of the Adult Correlation Committee;
• and as one of the first regional representatives of the Twelve.

As a young man, he served two years as a missionary in eastern Canada.

He was born July 6, 1926, in Salt Lake City to Clarence H. and Emma Ash Maxwell. Elder Maxwell is survived by his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, as well as four children and 24 grandchildren.

Funeral services for Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve will be held on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, at 12:00 noon in the Tabernacle on Temple Square