Dr. Pete Sharber, 79
Dr. Pete Sharber, 79, of Leesburg, died Sept. 12 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Services were conducted Sept. 15 at Chapel of Sherwood Baptist Church. Interment followed in Oak City Cemetery in Bainbridge,. Military honors, including a 21 gun salute, were provided by the United States Army Honor Guard.
Pallbearers included Darrell Beasley, Jim Bouchard, LTG (Ret.) Ron Burgess, Steve Johnson, Ken McLeod, and Royce Presley. Honorary pallbearers were COL (Ret.) R.L. Clark, Lonnie Mathis, LTC (Ret.) George Moore, LTC (Ret.) Ben Peacock, and the men of the Living Word Sunday School Class.
A native of Bainbridge, Dr. Sharber graduated from Bainbridge High School. He married Faye Garner Sharber in 1962. Dr. Sharber received his BA from Mercer University, his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Doctorate of Ministry from Drew University. A career military man, Dr. Sharber reached the rank of Colonel in the US Army. He served as an Infantry officer with two tours of duty in Vietnam and then 11 years as a chaplain. In addition, he was called back to active duty for Desert Storm.
He served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Hazlehurst for 15 years, at Anderson Drive Baptist Church in Jesup for five years, and at Bronwood Baptist Church for four years. Dr. Sharber was employed with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as the Director of Chaplaincy and had lived in Leesburg since 2007. Dr. Sharber was a member of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, where he attended the Living Word Sunday School Class or frequently served as interim pastor at a number of churches locally. He truly loved God’s Word and was a gifted teacher and a beloved pastor.
Survivors include his wife, Faye Sharber, of Leesburg; daughters, Melanie Merritt and her husband, Jeff Merritt and Cheryl Thompson, all of Lee County; siblings, James Edwin Sharber and Martha Clement, both of Bainbridge; grandchildren, Jonathan Siskey and his wife, Laura of Albany, Kathryn Siskey, Ethan Merritt, Emily Thompson, Hannah Thompson, and Caleb Thompson all of Lee County; and great-granddaughter, Adeline Siskey.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Dr. Pete Sharber to North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN, 37203.
To sign the online registry or to send condolences to the family, visit Mathews’ website at www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.
Mathews Funeral Home was in charge.
