On September 27, 2025, President Russell M. Nelson passed away peacefully at his home in Salt Lake City at the age of 101. While the world remembers him as a prophet and a pioneering heart surgeon, the titles he cherished most were those of husband and father. His family was the cornerstone of his long and extraordinary life, a story of deep love, a bustling household, and a legacy that extended through generations.
President Nelson’s personal life was a beautiful duet, first performed with his beloved wife, Dantzel White. Their story began not in a hospital, but on a stage at the University of Utah, where they were cast as the leads in a musical play. He was instantly captivated by the “stunning” brunette with the “incredible” soprano voice. Life soon imitated art, and after dating, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple on August 31, 1945.
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Together, they built a family that would become Nelson’s “greatest joy.” Dantzel was the heart of their home, and those who knew them described them as a perfect team. Their son, Russell M. Nelson Jr., once compared his parents to the brain and the heart of a body, noting that “one couldn’t operate properly without the other.” Their daughter, Gloria, recalled that her father’s first action upon coming home was always to seek out her mother for a hug and a kiss.
A Household Filled with Love and Music
Russell and Dantzel Nelson became parents to a vibrant household of ten kids—nine daughters and one son. The story of their family’s completion has a special charm. In 1957, with five daughters already at home, Dantzel told her husband about a vivid dream she had of a baby boy. After four more daughters were born, she finally delivered the “beautiful, 12-pound boy she had seen in her dream.”
His children remember him as a “calm, patient, and loving” parent who created a home filled with high expectations and high levels of love. Despite a demanding career as a world-renowned surgeon, President Nelson was deeply present in his kids’ lives. He made it a point to attend every important milestone, from blessings and baptisms to weddings. He also found a clever way to create one-on-one time, often taking a single child with him on his professional travels around the world to talk and share experiences.
The Nelson home was always filled with music, a passion that Russell and Dantzel shared, and they upheld traditions like scripture study and prayers. After nearly 60 years of marriage, Dantzel passed away unexpectedly in 2005. President Nelson later married Wendy L. Watson, a former professor and family therapist, on April 6, 2006. He often expressed his profound love and gratitude for her, calling her “an extraordinary woman—a great blessing to me, to our family, and to the entire Church.”
The Ever-Growing Nelson Family Tree
The legacy of love that President Nelson nurtured now extends far beyond his immediate children. At the time of his passing, he was survived by his wife, Wendy, and 8 of his 10 kids. He was predeceased by two of his daughters, Wendy N. Maxfield (who passed away in 2019) and Emily N. Wittwer (who passed away in 1995).
His living loved ones include a vast and thriving posterity. In September 2025, just weeks before his passing, the Nelsons gathered to celebrate his 101st birthday. In a social media post, he shared his feelings, saying, “I feel truly humbled to be celebrating my 101st birthday with my children so close — whether in person or forever in my heart.” He reflected on the enduring tenderness he felt for his kids, who now have families of their own, noting, “Even though those pictured are all adults with children, grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild of their own, I still feel the tenderness I felt for them when they were small enough to rock in my arms.”
This image of a patriarch surrounded by his loved ones—kids, 57 grandkids, and more than 167 great-grandchildren—paints a final, beautiful picture of a life dedicated to faith and family.
