of our Heavenly Father I could not have remained here. ... The nearer I went to the other side, the greater was my assurance that the gospel is true." According to Mary Jane Woodger: "Those close to George Albert Smith were aware of some emotional problems. Grandchild George Albert Smith V suggests that his grandfather struggled with depression, feeling incompetent, and being overwhelmed. There were times when 'he just could not pull it all together.' Another granddaughter, Shauna Lucy Stewart Larsen, who lived in George Albert’s home for twelve years as a child, remembers that 'when there was great, tremendous stress, mostly [of] an emotional kind, it took its toll and he would literally have to go to bed for several days.' Grandson Robert Murray Stewart remembers, 'There were problems associated with his mental health, just maintaining control of himself.' Given what seems to be George Albert’s emotional fragility, physical illness may have been a socially acceptable way for him to retreat, rest, and regroup before tackling his responsibilities again with renewed determination." Death and legacy In March 1951, Smith suffered a stroke that left him mostly paralyzed on the right side of his body, and gradually deteriorated until his death on April 4, 1951, his 81st birthday. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. Smith's teachings as an apostle were the 2012 course of study in the LDS Church's Sunday Relief Society and Melchizedek priesthood classes. Ancestry Works References External links Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: George Albert Smith Materials related to George Albert Smith in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University George A. Smith Papers at University of Utah Digital Library, Marriott Library Special Collections 1870 births 1951 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saint writers American Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Apostles (LDS Church) Brigham Young Academy alumni Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Deaths from lupus General Presidents of the Young Men (organization) Latter Day Saints from Utah Mission presidents (LDS Church) People from Salt Lake City Presidents of the Church (LDS Church) Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church) Smith family (Latter Day Saints) University of Utah alumni