He did so from the 1950s to the mid-1980s with a scalpel in his hand. In the more than three decades since, he has done so through sermons in his soul.
The 93-year-old Nelson, a cardiothoracic-surgeon-turned-Mormon-apostle, is poised to become the 17th president of nearly 16 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Through unfailing tradition, Nelson, as the faith’s longest-serving apostle, is expected to be set apart in the coming days as the successor to the late Thomas S. Monson, who died Tuesday night at 10:01 p.m. at his Salt Lake City home.
Nelson became next in line to guide the Utah-based faith when he was set apart July 15, 2015, to replace the late Boyd K.