Born the sixth of eight children (4 brothers and 4 sisters) in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Arturo moved with his widowed mother and six living siblings to Saltillo—to live with his aunt—in 1933.
Eleven years later, Arturo answered a call to serve a mission in Mexico. His first visit to the United States was to Mesa, Arizona to attend the first Spanish-language LDS temple session with David O. McKay in October 1945.
After his mission, Arturo moved to Provo, Utah to attend BYU. There he met Genevieve Argault ("Mi Amor"), a student from France. They married in 1950.
After finishing his Bachelor and Master of Sociology degrees, the family moved to Michigan, where Arturo completed a Ph.D. in Sociology. He began teaching at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, then at the Indiana University Medical Extension in Indianapolis. Arturo was a master teacher of many subjects, but his greatest love was teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 1968, the family returned to Provo where both Arturo and Genevieve taught at BYU until retiring in 1990. They opened the Mexico Tijuana mission in July 1990 and presided there when the San Diego temple was dedicated. Arturo translated the dedicatory prayer for the Mexican Saints.
A kind of Michelangelo with duct tape and baling wire, Arturo fixed and built things his whole life, including the Universidad Hispana, which included 32 schools in 5 countries.
Arturo is survived by Genevieve, his three daughters, Sylvia (Stephen Coates), Lili (Christian Anderson), and Jan (Stephen Tolman), his 18 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and his youngest brother, Benjamin (Josefine). We suspect Arturo is now preparing his 40th great-grandchild, due on Arturo's 91st birthday, giving advice and telling stories about this wonderful life on earth.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 11:00am at the Boulter Chapel, 13006 South Boulter Street, Draper, UT. Viewings will be Friday from 6-8pm and Saturday from 9:30-10:30am at the church. Interment will be at East Lawn Memorial Hills in Provo. Online condolences may be sent to larkincares.com
