Phillip Andrew Latta, 82, of Lexington, S.C., died Aug. 27, 2025.
A native of Hillsborough, N.C., he was a graduate of Columbia International University, Columbia, S.C. He worked as a manager for Sears Roebuck & Company in Charleston before being called to full-time ministry. He was a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and went on to serve as pastor of churches in North and South Carolina, including Rocky Grove Baptist Church; First Baptist Church, Fairfax, S.C.; and Hemingway First Baptist, S.C. In retirement, he served as interim pastor for several area churches.
He was actively involved in the South Carolina Baptist Convention, serving on numerous committees and boards. For several decades, he organized church mission trips to West Virginia. In his final years of ministry, he volunteered as a chaplain at the Broad River Correctional Institution, leading Bible studies and helping to establish a library of theological books for the men.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Paulette Watson Latta; a son and a daughter; and nine grandchildren.