Bobby Harper

BOBBY HARPER -

Bobby Lane Harper passed away peacefully on March 8, 2026. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by the service at 2:30 p.m. Interment will follow at the church columbarium.

Mr. Harper was born in Grenada, Mississippi, on April 18, 1941, to the late Buck and Laura Harper. He graduated from John Rundle High School and went on to attend Delta State University, where he earned a degree in Business Administration. He later continued his professional education at the Banking School of the South at Louisiana State University.

Bobby devoted more than six decades to a distinguished career in banking. He began at Grenada Trust & Banking Company before moving to Columbus in 1966 to join the National Bank of Commerce, where he later served as President. He went on to serve as Regional President of Cadence Bank before he concluded his banking career with Renasant Bank in business development in 2025.

He was a man who deeply loved his family and his community. Throughout his life, he believed strongly in giving back and was always willing to step forward to support the organizations and people who helped make Columbus such a special place to live.

Over the years, he generously gave his time and leadership to numerous civic and charitable organizations, serving in many capacities on the boards of the Mississippi Young Bankers, the Columbus Kiwanis Club, the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, United Way, MUW’s Town and Tower Club and the MUW Foundation, the Frank P. Phillips YMCA, the Mississippi Economic Council, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Council, Helping Hands, Golden Triangle Regional Airport, and the Golden Triangle Regional Medical Foundation.

Following his service with the Columbus-Lowndes Economic Development Association, now known as The Link, the organization honored him by naming its new training and meeting room in recognition of his contributions to economic development in the community.

Bobby was a Paul Harris Fellow of the Columbus Rotary Club and received the Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Columbus Exchange Club. A longtime member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, he served for many years on the vestry. In 1992, he was honored to serve as the Junior Auxiliary Pilgrimage Ball King.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Dale Harper, Bill Harper, Dr. John Harper, and Jack Harper; and his sisters, Betty Harper Carpenter, Peggy Harper Hough, and Ruby Harper.