| Faithful mourn Jessop 3,000 people honor FLDS bishop at burial procession in Colorado City | |||||
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By Rachel Olsen The Spectrum | |||||
COLORADO CITY — A mass of pastels dotted the gray as more than 3,000 people thronged the street Sunday in a procession to bury Fred Jessop, longtime bishop and loved leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jessop, 94, died Tuesday at approximately 2:10 p.m. in a medical facility south of Denver. The whereabouts of Jessop were reportedly unknown for the past 15 months, although FLDS faithful apparently maintained Jessop was on a mission for the church. The FLDS church, which largely controls the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City, is led by Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the church, and constitutes the largest polygamist group in North America. Jessop’s funeral lasted for more than three hours inside the LSJ Meetinghouse in Colorado City before the graveside services occurred. There a song with the refrain "perfect priesthood man" could be heard rising from the burial site of Jessop, even though the entire ceremony was closed to outsiders. Comments on Jessop being a great man and a great example of the priesthood could be heard in the eulogy. Jessop was born April 20, 1910, in Millville to Martha Yeates and Joseph Smith Jessop. He married Lydia Johnson on August 4, 1935. In 1935, Jessop moved to Southern Utah. He was instrumental in the community development and in the founding of many businesses in the area. With Jessop’s leadership, farms were developed, a zoo was established and several parks were developed, according to the obituary. Rod Parker, an attorney who represented the FLDS church for several years, said from his interactions, Jessop was very loved and respected throughout the community. Jessop reportedly had many wives and more than 100 children, although Parker said none of the children were biologically Jessop’s, but the results of his wives’ previous marriages. Seth Cooke, a former member of the FLDS church who came to survey the scene, said Jessop was theoretically everyone’s uncle, but he was his great-uncle by blood. Cooke left the FLDS faith almost 22 years ago, but said Jessop was the man everyone went to. "I loved him and I still love him," Cooke said. One member emerged from the funeral services singing the hymn "Redeemer of Israel" and commented that Jessop had been a father to them all. Ben Bistline, a historian and author on the FLDS church, said he didn’t believe Jessop’s death would have much effect on the function of the FLDS church because Jeffs appointed a new bishop some time ago and because Jeffs previously expelled prominent church members like the Barlows. Because of lawsuits pending against the FLDS church and Jeffs, the prophet has not been seen by outsiders for some time. It was unknown whether Jeffs attended the funeral. Last August, despite reports that Jessop was on a mission, concerned family members filed a missing person report with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith said as the sheriff’s office began their investigation at the time the report was filed, Undersheriff Pete Kuhlmann made phone calls to some members of the community of Hildale and Colorado City. Smith said one individual told Kuhlmann he had spoken to Jessop just a few weeks before the August report. Another person told Kuhlmann that Fred Jessop was on a mission for the church. The Sheriff's Office had no allegations of foul play during the investigation of the missing person report on Jessop, Smith said. The FLDS church traces its roots to Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS church officially abandoned polygamy in the 1890s and now excommunicates those practicing the lifestyle. | |||||
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The Spectrum.com Originally published March 21, 2005 | |||||
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