Jesse Milton Wyatt

Dr. Jesse M Wyatt, Jr. was born on Tuesday, April 8, 1947 to Delores Cantey Polk and Jesse M Wyatt, Sr. in New Orleans, LA. The Eldest of all of his siblings on both sides. It was said that his Great-Grandmother Lovenia Harris took him from the hospital to her house and raised him until about the age of seven. Upon moving with his Grandparents, Daniel and Rosetta Barsock, they relocated to Oakland, CA. He attended Santa Fe Elementary School, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School, Oakland Technical High School and Merritt College. Later in Life, he attended Golden Gate Theology School where he received his Bachelors of Theology, Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry. Jesse joined North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church at the age of 7 and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He sang in various Church choirs, directed the children’s choir, was the Sunday School Superintendent and served as the Associate Pastor for many years. Dr. Wyatt loved preaching and teaching. For many years he preached every 3rd Sunday until his health started declining. One of my favorite sermons of my dad’s was from Isaish 40:31: But Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their Strength, They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. - And when he described mounting up like eagles, he would out-stretch his arms wide like an eagle getting ready to soar. While serving in ministry he met the first love of his life, Pamela Harris. They married in May 1972, from this union his first born daughter, Javani Marie Wyatt was born on January 25, 1975. While their marriage ended in 1979, their commitment to providing steady love, support and stability to Javani was unwavering and they were friends. He met the 2nd love of his life Sandra King and from this union his second daughter, Quianna Tranaet Wyatt was born on August 4, 1984. Jesse met the 3rd love of his life Johnnie-Lynn, his wife of 39 years at North Oakland MBC. He was the only one that affectionately called her Johnnie-Lynn. Jesse and Johnnie were married August 31, 1985. Johnnie came into the marriage with 5 children, blended together and made us a family of 9. Not your typical blended family. There were many ups and downs over the course of almost 40 years but the love they shared, the time shared, the vacations, the private talks, the family members they supported, the surgeries, the joys and the pains, I believe they would say it was worth it. They chose each other. At age 15, Jesse spoke with Broadway Ford to sponsor a baseball team and he began coaching youth baseball. While coaching baseball, he also played baseball for Merritt College. One team expanded to 8-9 teams. He started building championship winning teams from 1970 -1972. His 10-12 year old teams had A winning record of 101-3. He coached baseball for 45 years. Gary Pettis played from 10 years old to 15 years old. My dad told me a story about cutting a player 5 or 6 times and on the 6th or 7th time, the player said you are not cutting me this time. That player went Pro. Now this may be the same story or a similar one: Daddy, told me that when Lloyd Mosely was 10 he didn’t make the team but came back at age 11 and was one of the stars. He graduated from Oakland High School and went on to play for the Pirates. The importance of commitment, discipline, training, being focused and earning your spot were just some of the tools he instilled in the many players he mentored. The Entrepreneurial spirit was embedded within Dr. Wyatt from a young age by his father, Jesse Wyatt, Sr. Senior had a newspaper, a liquor store and a tax business. Wyatt and Associates, an Accounting & Tax Preparation business was birthed in 1969. He worked in the office over 50 years until March 2020 during the pandemic and due to his declining health retired home. However, insisting he stay home didn’t stop him from working. Dr. Wyatt would see Clients in his home office till 2022-2023. In my opinion my father did his best ministry at his desk. Oftentimes Clients would come and see us at their most vulnerable moments and it would be my father’s job to dissect the issues, provide a strategic plan to move forward and bring some peace and calm to what sometimes could feel like an unresolvable problem. We have wiped tears, brought joy and prayed with and for our clients. It’s one thing to have new clients but the ability to build lasting relationships with our clients not only keeps them coming back but makes them family. Dr. Jesse M Wyatt, Jr. departed this life Saturday, February 8, 2025 after a long battle of illness. He is survived by his wife Johnnie Wyatt, his daughters Javani Wyatt Daniel (Lamont Daniel) and Quianna Wyatt, his brothers and sisters, his step-children, grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.

Tributes

Jesse Milton Wyatt

April 8, 1947 - February 8, 2025