Merrill C. Oaks

Merrill C. Oaks was called as a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in the Second Quorum of the Seventy from April 1998 to October 2004.

He was born on January 12, 1936, in Twin Falls, Idaho. His father, Dr. Lloyd Oaks, passed away in 1940, leaving his mother, Stella, to raise her three children alone. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is his older brother.

Oaks was raised partially in Provo, Utah, where he was an All-State athlete and named to the All-State orchestra. He spent many summers on his grandfather’s farm near Payson. He earned his bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University and his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, interned at the University of Kentucky, and specialized in ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He practiced ophthalmology in Provo, Utah, and was president of the medical staff at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for a time.

He and his wife, Josephine, are the parents of nine children. he served as a bishop (twice), high councilor, stake presidency counselor, and stake president. He presided over the Washington Seattle Mission. He was a missionary to Ontario, Canada.