Bernard P. Brockbank was born on May 24, 1909 in Holladay, Utah. When he was eighteen, he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles. He attended Utah State University, George Washington University, and the University of Utah.
In 1960, President David O. McKay called Elder Brockbank to be the first mission president of the North British Mission. Under his leadership, the North British Mission experienced tremendous growth and was split twice. Elder Brockbank also served as the first president of the International Mission, which comprised all areas of the world without an official mission.
He was an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1962 to 1976. During this period, he served as the managing director of the Mormon Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and 1965. On October 1, 1976, he was called as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, receiving emeritus status on October 4, 1980.
He was married twice, first to Nada Rich Brockbank, who died in 1967, and then to Frances Morgan Brockbank. He had ten children. He passed away on October 11, 2000. President Gordon B. Hinckley presided over and spoke at Elder Brockbank’s funeral.
