June 26 1924 July 16 2020
Rev. Robert E. Sanders June 26, 1924 – July 16, 2020 Share this obituary Send Flowers View/Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card The Reverend Robert E. Sanders, Pastor Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, at the age of 96 on July 16, 2020, from complications of pneumonia, not related to Covid-19. Born on June 26, 1924, in Steubenville, Ohio, Bob was the son of Frederick P. and Lucille H. (McCoy) Sanders, and is predeceased by brothers, Maurice and Frederick. He was educated in the Steubenville public school system, received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1947, and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1955. Bob was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and following Seminary he served as the assistant minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Englewood, New Jersey. He was called to serve as Assistant to the President of Princeton Theological Seminary, under the Rev. Dr. John A Mackay, and subsequently under Seminary President James I. McCord. In the early 1960s, Bob worked for the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. serving as the Eastern Area Director for the division of radio and television. In 1964, he was called as the senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church, Utica, New York, and in 1969, the First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan, called him as the senior minister, a position he held until 1978. He subsequently served as the senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church, Greenwich, Connecticut. In 1981, he returned to Princeton Theological Seminary as Pastor to the Seminary, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. Bob was a passionate amateur astronomer and built an observatory to house a large telescope that he enjoyed for many years and shared his interest in American history as a volunteer tour guide for the Princeton Historical Society. Bob retired in 1989, and realized his dream of living in Vermont full-time, after spending almost every summer vacation of his married life there. In the early years of his 30-year retirement in Waterbury, Vermont, Bob enjoyed working as an on-air host for WEZF Radio Station in Burlington, Vermont. He also served as the interim minister of the Second Congregational Church (UCC) in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the College Street Congregational Church (UCC) in Burlington, Vermont, and the First Congregational Church (UCC) in Morrisville, Vermont. He was also frequently invited to lead services of worship at the Stowe Community Church in Stowe, Vermont. Bob was a devoted husband of Isabelle Peck Sanders for 57 years. He is survived by his wife, Belle, sons Mark and David, and daughter-in-law Bronwen Sanders. A memorial service will be held at Miller Chapel on the campus of Princeton Theological Seminary at a future date to be determined. A private interment service will be at Princeton Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made in memory of Robert E. Sanders to: Princeton Theological Seminary, Office of Scholarship Support, P.O. Box 821, Princeton, NJ 08542. Assisting the family is the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences please visit www.perkinsparker.com or the funeral home Facebook page. Print Obituary
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Rev Robert E Sanders June 26 1924 July 16 2020.
Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service
Death notice for the town of: Waterbury, state: Vermont