Reverend Robert Holmes (Bob) Zbinden

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Reverend Robert Holmes (Bob) Zbinden went to be with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, April 15. He left this world with his family singing hymns around his bed. Bob Zbinden was born in Hartford, Alabama, in 1933 and grew up in Dothan attending Headland Avenue Baptist Church (currently Heritage Baptist) where his father served as pastor. He graduated Dothan High School in 1951 then matriculated to Howard College (Samford). He married a local girl (Zona Gayle Kelly) in 1956 and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to earn an M.Div at Southern Seminary. Bob & Zona went on to serve as pastor & wife of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Independence, Kentucky; First Baptist Church, Lebanon Junction, Kentucky; Wesley Heights Baptist Church, Columbus, Georgia; First Baptist Church, Ashburn, Georgia; Funston Baptist Church, Funston, Georgia; and the International Baptist Church in Budapest, Hungary. They retired and came back to Dothan in 2000 and became members of Heritage Baptist Church where he served in several roles: deacon, Sunday School teacher and associate pastor.

Pastor Zbinden is preceded in death by his wife, Zona; his parents, A.D. & Margaret Zbinden; four brothers: Art (Eloise) Zbinden, Sam Zbinden, Bill (Johnnie) Zbinden, and George (Jayne) Zbinden; two sisters: Witt (John) Miller, and Martha Z. Stephens; and a son-in-law, Robert Ehrhart.

He is survived by his four children, Melanie Zbinden Ehrhart of Dothan, Zack (Karen) Zbinden of Dothan, Kelly (Jamie) Zbinden of Richmond, Virginia, and Mary Beth (Mike) McHargue of Greenville, Florida; nine grandchildren: Benjamin Stripling, Max (Ashley) Zbinden, Malia Zbinden, CJ (Hannah) Zbinden, Savannah Zbinden, Zette (Kyle) Brown, Noah Zbinden, Sage (Joy) Zbinden and Luke (Nathalia) Zbinden; and eight great-grandchildren: Kinsley Zbinden, Noelle Zbinden, Marley Stripling, Reagan Zbinden, Griffin Zbinden, Judah Zbinden, Gideon Zbinden and Meritt Rose Zbinden.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Heritage Baptist Church, 1914 Westgate Parkway, Dothan, Alabama on Sunday, April 19 at 3:00pm with Family Visitation at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider something dear to Bob’s heart—world missions. Please send gifts in his honor to the International Mission Board’s Project 3000 by clicking on the link International Mission Board, or mail to Project 3000 (IMB), P.O. Box 6767, Richmond, Virginia 23230.