Sheldon F. Child

Who is Sheldon F. Child?

Sheldon Fay Child has been general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1996.

Child was born in Ogden, but raised on a farm in Syracuse, Utah. He married Joan Haacke in 1957 and they are the parents of six children. Shortly after his marriage, Child began working at RC Willey Home Furnishings, which then had under five employees. His brother, William Child, as the son-in-law of the original owner, was the owner. For a time, Child was president of R. C. Willey and the company had grown to seven stores by the time he retired.

In the LDS Church, Child has served as bishop of the Syracuse Second Ward and president of the Syracuse Utah Stake. From 1991 to 1994, Child served as president of the church's New York New York Mission. The mission was split in 1993, with Child remaining as president of the New York New York South Mission, which encompassed Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester County, New York, southwest Connecticut and a few other counties in southern New York were made into the new New York New York North Mission, with Parley L. Howell as president.