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Elder Hugh W. Pinnock, an LDS Church general authority known for his homespun stories, vigorous work ethic and love of fly fishing, died Friday in Salt Lake City of chronic lung disease. He was 66.
LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley and his counselor James E. Faust, who are traveling in Brazil, joined counselor Thomas S. Monson in expressing their condolences to the family.
Monson called Pinnock "an exemplary leader who will be greatly missed."
On Friday, family and friends remembered Pinnock as "an extreme people person."
As an LDS mission president in Pennsylvania, Pinnock loved to cook for the missionaries, longtime friend Kay Benfell of Salt Lake City said.
"One Thanksgiving, he made a big pot of soup for them and threw in everything he could think of, including slices of bologna," she said. "He always wanted them to have fun."
His ease with people was evident early in life. He was often chosen as class president, said his son, Marcus Pinnock, a Salt Lake City businessman.
In 1958, Pinnock became student body president at the University of Utah. He followed his old friend Bob Bennett, now one of Utah's senators, in the position.
Ten years later, Pinnock managed the successful senatorial campaign of Bennett's father, Wallace F. Bennett.
Pinnock was also remembered as a practical joker (he wore false teeth to meet his future wife's roommates), an avid art collector -- especially original cartoons and illustrations -- and someone who loved a good yarn.
Pinnock was born in Salt Lake City on Jan. 15, 1934. After graduating from the U., he became a successful insurance agent, served as president of LDS Hospital's Deseret Foundation and on the Granite District School Board.
His service to the LDS Church included a full-time mission and work as a stake high councilor, bishop, mission president and regional representative.
In October 1977, he was named a member of the church's First Quorum of Seventy.
In 1985, Pinnock came under public scrutiny for helping forger Mark Hofmann secure a $185,000 bank loan to purchase what Pinnock was told was an important collection of Mormon documents. After Hofmann's frauds were revealed, Pinnock felt compelled to repay the loan personally.
From 1995 to July 2000, he was president of a foundation in Nauvoo, Ill., working to restore the section of the city founded by Mormon pioneers.
During his tenure at Nauvoo Restoration Inc., Pinnock, in overalls and cowboy hat, presided over the 1997 re-enactment of the Mormon pioneer trek that garnered worldwide interest.
Pinnock is survived his wife, Anne Hawkins Pinnock, six children and 21 grandchildren. A funeral is set for Wednesday, though details have not yet been finalized.