Rev. Reese Travis Sanders

Reverend Reese Travis Sanders of Covington, Georgia, passed away peacefully December 11, 2025. He leaves behind his sons Eric and his wife Jill, Jeff and his wife Nita, 5 grandchildren, Justin, Joshua, Tyler, Patrick, Jessica and their spouses, and 13 grandchildren. He is now reunited with his beloved wife of 56 years, Laura Lee, and eldest son William Travis.

Reese was born in Rex, Georgia on December 29, 1932 to William Roy and Alma Fordham Sanders. He grew up on a small cattle farm with his brother and sister, joining the US Army in 1951 and serving in the Military Police Corps during the Korean War.

Answering the call into the Ministry, Reese attended Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee and earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He served in numerous churches in Tennessee and Texas before accepting the position of Senior Pastor at Zion Baptist Church in 1974. While there, he led with integrity, humility, and love, always reflecting Christ’s servant heart. He officiated numerous weddings and funerals, and never missed an opportunity to open the door to salvation.

He was always there for those in need, and always found time to minister to patients in the hospital. While walking the hospital hallways, he felt that every open door was an invitation to step inside and offer to pray with the patients and their families.

He served as Senior Pastor for 25 years, selflessly ministering to his congregation and community until his retirement in 1999. After retiring from Zion, he served as Interim Pastor at Harvest Baptist Church before returning to Zion as Minister of Pastoral Care.

Reverend Sanders also served as Chaplain for both Rockdale County Hospital and Newton County Jail.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 12pm at Zion Baptist Church. Reverends Joel Brown and Patrick Sanders will officiate. Visitation will precede the service and the family will receive visitors at 10:45 at Zion.