John Thomas Fyans (May 17, 1918 – May 18, 2008) was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1974 until his death. Early life Born in Moreland, Idaho, Fyans was the son of Joseph Fyans and Mae Farnsworth. From 1940 to 1943, Fyans served as a missionary in the Spanish American Mission of the LDS Church, which had jurisdiction over missionary work among the Spanish-speaking population of the southwestern United States. After his returned from his mission he married Helen Cook, and they eventually became the parents of five children. Employment Prior to becoming a mission president Fyans worked at ZCMI for 20 years eventually becoming the head of their school supply department. After returning from serving as a mission president he returned to ZCMI but later accepted full-time employment with the church. Fyans was a director and eventually president of the Memorial Estates Security Corporation (MESC) in the 1960s. Along with Bruce R. McConkie and several others, the company was formed to construct memorial parks for deceased "loved ones". The company went bankrupt, and was sued by investors for failing to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment company, misrepresenting LDS Church endorsement, and failing to inform investors of insolvency. On April 25, 1969 MESC settled with investors three days prior to the beginning of a jury trial. Prior to his call as a general authority, Fyans worked as director of distribution and translation for the LDS Church. This is the position he held in 1967. He then served as an administrator with the office of the church's presiding bishop and in March 1972 became the managing director of the church's internal communications department. Church service Fyans served as the bishop of the Butler Ward in Salt Lake City. He then served for nine years as a counselor in the presidency of the East Jordan Stake, which was headquartered in Midvale, Utah. During the time he was a full-time church employee, Fyans was also a regional representative for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. While serving as director of internal communications, Fyans was involved with the initial steps of developing the LDS Church's edition of the King James Bible. Fyans served as president of the Uruguayan Mission of the church from 1960 to 1964. As the president of this mission, Fyans also oversaw missionary work in Paraguay.