HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND RANCE PETTIBONE, SR.

On 2026-10-05, Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND RANCE PETTIBONE, SR." in the House.

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND RANCE PETTIBONE, SR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 157 (Monday, October 5, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 157 (Monday, October 5, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1019] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND RANCE PETTIBONE, SR. ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Monday, October 5, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Reverend Rance Pettibone, Sr., a soldier, a shepherd, a broadcaster, a husband, a father, and a gentleman of the highest order, who has gone home to be with the Lord. Reverend Pettibone passed from labor to reward on September 26, 2026. A home-going service to celebrate his remarkable life was held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Second Bethesda Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Reverend Pettibone was a man who gave his life away in service: to his country, to his God, to his family, and to the city of Albany, Georgia, which he so dearly loved. Born in Foley, Alabama, Rance was the biological son of Mazie Bell Dinkins and James Barnett, Sr., and was raised by Ambus and Ruby Pettibone. He carried both families in his heart for all of his days, honoring the parents who gave him life and the parents who gave him a home. In that quiet act of gratitude, we can already see the man he would become: a man who never forgot the people who helped make him who he was. Reverend Pettibone answered his nation's call and gave more than twenty years of his life to the United States Army. A Vietnam veteran, he served as a paratrooper, an infantryman, a sniper, and a supply sergeant. He knew the weight of a soldier's pack, the roar of an open aircraft door, and the cost of the freedom we too often take for granted. Again and again, he stepped out into the open sky for the sake of a country he loved. When his uniform was finally folded away, his service did not end. It simply changed its form. For Rance Pettibone had heard another call, the call to serve God and God's people, and he answered that one with the same courage and discipline he had carried into battle. He served in ministry in Europe, in Savannah, and in Brunswick before making Albany his home. In 2001, he accepted the call to pastor Second Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, and for more than two decades he led that congregation with dedication, wisdom, and a genuine love for God's people. He was not a pastor who stood apart from his flock. He was also a faithful member of that church family, praying with them, rejoicing with them, and weeping with them. He served alongside his fellow ministers in the Albany Baptist Minister's Conference, always ready to lend his hand and his heart. His ministry could not be contained by church walls. Every Saturday, his voice reached homes, cars, and kitchens across Southwest Georgia through his radio program, ``Faith, Family, & Common Sense,'' on WZBN 105.5. And on the first Saturday of each month, he gathered the people of Albany to pray for their city, its schools, its leaders, and its first responders. Many a teacher, police officer, firefighter, and public servant went about their work never knowing that a soldier of the cross had lifted them up before the throne of God. WALB rightly honored him as one of its ``Heroes Among Us,'' for that is exactly what he was. On April 15, 2006, Rance married the love of his life, Sandra, and together they blended their families into seven children, four daughters and three sons. Seven was his favorite number, because he believed it represented completeness, and in Sandra and their children, his life was made complete. He believed that a man's first responsibility was to provide for and protect his family, and he lived that belief every single day. He also knew sorrow that no parent should ever have to bear. He laid to rest two of his sons, Jason and Sheldon. Yet even through that unspeakable grief, he did not let go of God, and he did not stop pouring love into the family that remained. Rance Pettibone was a true gentleman. He held doors. He offered his arm to help people down the steps. He was the first to notice when someone needed a seat or a helping hand. His favorite saying was simple: ``Always think of others before you think of yourself.'' He did not just say those words. He lived them. Reverend Pettibone was preceded in death by his sons, Jason and Sheldon; his biological parents, Mazie Bell Dinkins and James Barnett, Sr.; the parents who raised him, Ambus and Ruby Pettibone; his sister, Zola Prim Anderson; his brother, Prentice Jackson; his brother-in-law, Zeno Green; three great-granddaughters; and other beloved family members. He leaves to cherish his memory his devoted wife, Sandra; his children, Anissa, Charlet Lewis (Tony), Kendra, Shannon (Rashard), and Rance Pettibone, Jr. (Tina); his daughter-in-law, Sharon Pettibone; his sister, Janice Green; his brothers, James Barnett, Steve Barnett, Melton Barnett (Mary), Louis Dinkins (Jackie), Gary Jackson, and George Jackson, Sr.; 27 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; his mother-in- law, Elizabeth Jones; his sisters-in-law, Patricia Gillison and Jeraldine Jones; his brothers-in-law, Jesse (Vickie), Jimmy (Alfreda), John, and Darryll (Tammie) Jones; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, church family, and friends. Mr. Speaker, the airwaves are quiet now on Saturday mornings in Albany, and a familiar voice no longer leads the people in prayer on the first Saturday of the month. But the prayers he prayed are still rising. The wisdom he shared is still guiding. And the lives he touched are still bearing fruit. Rance believed that seven was the number of completeness. And when we look back on his life, we see seven things he gave us in full measure: faith, family, service, sacrifice, wisdom, kindness, and love. His was a life made complete. The soldier who once leapt from aircraft into the open sky has made his final jump. And this time, there was no uncertainty about where he would land, for the Lord Himself was waiting to receive him and to say, ``Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'' Like the Apostle Paul, he could say. ``I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.'' Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian and me, along with more than 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District, extend our deepest condolences to Sandra, to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, to the Second Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church family, and to all who loved him. We pray that they will be comforted by the God he served so faithfully. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Rance Pettibone, Sr., a true American hero and a faithful servant of God. ____________________