After a life of faithful service to God, the Church and his family, Elder Hélio da Rocha Camargo, the first Brazilian General Authority Seventy of the Church, died Friday, July 19, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro. He was 98.
At the time Elder Camargo was called to serve as a General Authority Seventy in 1985, he quipped that he had never thought of himself as a general authority, “but I always knew my wife had what it takes to be the wife of a General Authority†(Church News, June 16, 1985, p. 4).
Although he was not baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until he was in his 30s, religion and faith in God were an important vein running throughout his life.
At the time he and his wife, Sister Nair Belmira da Rocha Camargo, first encountered the Latter-day Saint missionaries, young Elder Camargo was an ordained Methodist pastor and attending a theological seminary.
After refusing to perform infant baptisms, however, Elder Camargo was “cordially expelled†from the seminary. A few months later he began perusing a copy of “A Marvelous Work and a Wonder†that had been left by some Latter-day Saint missionaries. Regular church attendance, missionary lessons, deep study and prayer resulted in his baptism in 1957 followed two months later by his wife.
Through the years, the two served in a variety of Church callings. Elder Camargo served as a teacher, a bishop, the first president of the the São Paulo East Stake and a regional representative. He served in the Quorums of the Seventy from 1985 to 1990.
As a couple, Elder and Sister Camargo also served as mission leaders of the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission from 1975 to 1978 and as president and matron of the São Paulo Brazil Temple from 1990 to 1993.
Hélio da Rocha Camargo was born on Feb. 1, 1926, in Rio de Janeiro to Jose Madeiros de Camargo and Else Ferreira da Rocha. “I am grateful to have been taught the principles of honesty, hard work, and thrift even more by the daily example of my parents and relatives than by their words and counsel,†he said of his youth.
At the age of 17 he entered the military academy in Resende, Brazil — the country’s equivalent to West Point in the United States — and began a career as an officer in the army cavalry. After reaching the rank of captain, he suffered an accident that cut short his military career. Through the years he also worked as a banker, construction contractor and farmer.
A Church News article described how his bass voice and military bearing made his 5-foot-6-inch frame seem taller, but the stern impression of authority was softened by “a ready laugh and a quick insightful wit.â€
He met his bride, Nair Belmira de Gouvea, while serving in the military. The two courted at dances and outings, but a favorite activity was studying the scriptures together. They married in 1948 and raised six children.
Elder Camargo’s son, Brother Milton da Rocha Camargo, was sustained as a counselor in the Sunday School general presidency in 2019.
As a family, they loved to swim and play games, study together, and sing and play the piano.
In the October 1990 general conference, Elder Camargo expressed gratitude for his family, “particularly the extraordinary woman that God allowed me to have as a wife in mortality and throughout eternity. Also, I am grateful for the wonderful children and grandchildren He sent to our home to be the joy of our life. As I contemplate all these blessings, gratitude is the predominant feeling that comes to my heart.â€
Sister Carmargo passed away in April 2020.
At the time Elder Carmargo was called to full-time Church service, he and his family were living on a farm in Resende, located between Rio and São Paulo, with the view window of their home showcasing their farmland and the surrounding rugged mountain peaks.
Despite feeling the immense responsibility associated with being a general authority, Elder Camargo said he realized two things. First, “It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet with the Saints, to work hard, and to serve the Lord†(Ensign, May 1985).
Second, he knew the Lord would help him. “When President [Gordon B.] Hinckley asked me if I would accept this calling, I told him I would because I know this is the Church of Jesus Christ and He is in charge,†Elder Camargo said.
Elder Camargo was preceded in death by his wife, Nair, in 2020; son, Tercio, in 1972; and daughter, Márcia, in 2021. He is survived by four sons: Fernando José, Paulo Sergio, Josue and Milton; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
