Naomi M. Shumway
'Naomi Maxfield Shumway was the sixth president of the Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], of which she was a member.
As president (1974–1980), she focused on reverence in Primary, training teachers, and strengthening the spiritual foundation of every child. During her administration, the Primary celebrated its 100th birthday. In 1980, she and her counselors approved the plan to end weekday Primary and incorporate it into the consolidated three-hour Sunday meetings, which was implemented during the administration of Dwan Y. Young. Prior to her service as president, Shumway served for eleven years on the Primary General Board. She was active in Scouting and served on Scout committees. In 1978, she was named to the long-range planning committee for the national Cub Scout program to help develop a program for 8- to 10-year-old boys in the Cub Scout program. She received the Silver Fawn Award from the Boy Scouts of America. In 1980, she was presented the regional Silver Antelope Award at the National Court of Honor by the Boy Scouts of America in New Orleans.
Shumway was born on October 3, 1922, in Provo, Utah. She married Roden Grant Shumway in the Salt Lake Temple in 1945 and they were the parents of three children.
In 1982, she was elected to the Utah House of Representatives. She wrote the “Primary” entry for the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.[1] She died on May 22, 2004.
