A. LeGrand Richards: A steward of sacred spaces

Some find purpose in building and others in rebuilding, but A. LeGrand Richards has found purpose in both.

Richards story begins with a childhood shaped by faith a faith he later drew on to strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Buddy" Richards received this nickname from a young age after being named after his grandfather, LeGrand Richards, a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

When Richards left for his full-time mission in Scotland, he said it was the first time people started to associate his name with his grandfather.

I had to grapple with the idea that, if these folks are going to make assumptions about things, and if it can help me be a better missionary, then I should be grateful and not resentful, Richards said.

He described his grandfather as someone who lived to serve and was always upbeat and very optimistic. He said he hopes people can see those qualities in him as well.

One of the things I hope that people would see in me is that there's good in the world, even with all the garbage that's going on, Richards said.

To those around him, Richards is described as a warm person who makes everybody feel important and heard.

(He makes) that individual feel important, because he's focused on you, Erick Speckhard, a former church colleague of Richards, said.

Sherri Spencer, a lifelong friend of Richards, shared that people want to get to know him because he is a good example to follow.

He is a genuine and wise consecrated disciple of Christ," Spencer said.

Richards is a Provo local, often seen riding his bike through the citys streets.

He served as a professor at Brigham Young University for several years, teaching educational leadership. He loved to help students excel because he felt that BYU had so much potential to continuously grow.

He has served in multiple Church callings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One calling led him and his wife, Cindy Richards, to serve as the third president of the Provo City Center Temple.

When the Provo Tabernacle burned down in 2010, Richards was serving as stake president over the temple district. He was among the first to learn of the fire and later visited the site.

Richards shared that, as they walked inside the charred building, it was devastating.

They found a picture laying on top of the rubble. It had been burned all around except the center, where Jesus Christ remained.

It's like I heard a voice say, 'Richards, you know whose house this is. If I want to remodel it, what's it to you?' he said.

This was a hard time to feel hope after such a tragedy, but this divine message reassured Richards that whatever came next would be wonderful.

It represents that the Lord will turn us from ashes, to something much greater than we are, Spencer said.

During his time serving in the temple presidency, Richards shared that he experienced the sweetest tender mercies, and the love that God has for His children became clear to him.

The sweetest things may be coincidences some places, but they're not in the temple, Richards said.

Whether in his community, at local institutions or through the Church and temple, Richards has consistently lived to serve others.

His service in the temple is so important to him and his wife that when his beloved wife, Cindy, passed away, he included a graphic of the Provo Tabernacle on her headstone.

Losing her left a space he said he still feels deeply, but the tabernacle carved on her headstone stands as a reminder of the faith they built together.

Buddy Richards life has never been about titles or power; it is about nurturing what matters most: faith, family, community and the sacred spaces that support them.