Bishop Richard Crockett Edgeley, 90, who served as presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly 20 years, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Centerville, Utah.
Bishop Edgeley was appointed second counselor to the presiding bishopric in October 1992 general conference and then became first counselor on January 1, 1996, when former presiding bishop Merrill J. Bateman was called as president of Brigham Young University.
Bishop Edgeley served as second counselor to Elder Robert D. Hales (1992-1994) and Elder Merrill J. Bateman (1994-1995). He then served as the first counselor to Presiding Bishop H. David Barton (1996-2012).
Bishop Edgeley was the church’s managing director of finance and records and a former vice president of General Mills. He also served on the boards of PacifiCorp, Utah Power, Deseret Mutual Benefit Association, Beneficial Life Insurance Company, Deseret Trust Company, and Bonneville Holding Company.
He served as Vice Chairman of Proprietary Holding Inc. and served on the Trust Policy Committee of Zions First National Bank.
Bishop Edgeley was born February 6, 1936, in Preston, Idaho, to Fennoy and Ona Crockett Edgeley. His family lived in downtown Preston, and much of his formative years revolved around sports and outdoor activities.
Bishop Edgeley’s early summers in Idaho often included farm activities such as thinning beets, picking potatoes, and hauling hay.
“Anyone who wanted to work in Preston could find a job,” Bishop Edgeley once told Church News. “There was always plenty of work to do, and almost everyone in the area had a job. I always relied on the[family’s]dry cleaning factory, but I didn’t particularly like the job, so I worked outside in the summer.”
He attended Brigham Young University on a football scholarship and met his future wife, Pauline Nielson, while attending BYU. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on August 12, 1960, and had six children.
He served in the Eastern States Mission in the late 1950s and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from BYU.
After earning a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University, Bishop Edgeley began a 19-year career with General Mills. The family lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Toronto, Canada. and Linfield, Massachusetts. He was promoted to Vice President of Administration and Administration for the Consumer Non-Food Business.
One morning, during a General Mills board meeting, Bishop Edgeley received a phone call from then-Bishop Victor L. Brown, who asked Bishop Edgeley to come to Salt Lake City to discuss the position of head of the newly created Church Records Department.
“I was so tied down to General Mills that it was quite a shock when I said I was quitting,” he once recalled.
He was responsible for the church’s financial and administrative functions, financial services, risk management (insurance), tax reporting, membership and statistical records.
Bishop Edgeley also served as president of the Centerville Utah North Stake and previously served as counselor in the stake presidency, high councilor, bishop, and ward Young Men president.
In my October 2010 general conference message, I talked about faith and choice.
“Faith is a choice and must be pursued and developed. Therefore, we are responsible for our faith,” he said. “We are also responsible for our lack of faith. The choice is yours.”
Funeral services are pending.
