Many in Santa Rosa County will remember the iconic Joe Bamberg, the late, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church, Milton. What is more, many recall funny or poignant little vignettes involving him. One of my many memorable times was the day after he called me to ask if I had taught school with a recently-deceased teacher whose funeral he was to conduct. Although I hadn’t taught along side her, she was one of my long-ago teachers. My friend had anecdotal information the pastor could use, so we set up an interview. At the time, the pastor had a morning radio program called “Coffee with the Parson,” where he imparted important information and played the piano, by ear, for which he was also noted. My friend mentioned during the interview she listened to his program every morning on her way to work. Upon hearing this, Brother Joe asked if we would like for him to make a compact disc of his piano music for us. Of course, we were delighted.
While he recorded the compact disc, he called me and asked if I liked Tommy Dorsey, a popular big band leader, younger people may not recognize, but I did. Brother Bamberg said he would put a little Tommy Dorsey on the recording for me. When I listened to the disc a few days later, I heard him, along with Tommy Dorsey, talking with Betty, his wife, in the background. The recording was priceless, but I loaned it to someone and it was never returned. Alas, what a loss. Brother Joe Bamberg was a beloved and well-known figure in our area and beyond. It is easy to understand his popularity among many.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Reminiscing about iconic late pastor of First Baptist