Leslie E. Wyatt, age 95 of Nashville, TN, passed away on January 18, 2022.
Preceded in death by wife, Ivynell Lawson Wyatt; parents, Bessie Sholar Wyatt and Sherman Franklin Wyatt; and six siblings.
Survived by daughters Linda L. Wyatt and LeNelle Waldron; grandson, Zachary Waldron; granddaughter, Michelle Waldron (husband, Francisco Diaz); great-grandson, Archivaldo Diaz; great-granddaughter, Lynía; close cousin, Donna Bostick; and many nieces and nephews.
With the inexhaustible desire to learn, Leslie E Wyatt was promoted early skipping the third grade and studying and earning credit for his junior and senior years of high school in one year, in 1944.
At seventeen he was baptized by Homer Daniel, a local minister of the church of Christ. Following Bro. Daniel, he traveled to Chattanooga with the desire to preach the Gospel. He heard about Freed Hardeman two-year college as he wanted to be more skilled and effective in his preaching. It was at Freed Hardeman in Henderson, TN that this young man from Cadiz, Kentucky met Ivynell Lawson from Yazoo City, Mississippi. He graduated from Freed Hardeman, and they married in her parents’ home in Mississippi. Determined to make a better life for his future family, he continued his education at Union University in Jackson, TN, and then graduated in August of 1948 with a BS at Peabody College in Nashville, TN.
He went on to teach at Cornersville High School in Cornersville, TN, and he preached at Cornersville Church of Christ for five years. Enjoying a wonderful life with his supportive wife, they had their first daughter, Linda.
Beginning in 1953, living in Mathiston, Mississippi brought new opportunities, working in a mission field, where he worked full-time with the church at Mathiston, had a radio program on Sunday mornings and after morning worship he traveled to two smaller towns to preach in the afternoon. Although they loved the community and members they worked with there, he did not lose sight of making a larger impact on young people teaching them to prepare for their futures. He applied and was accepted, in 1956, to teach business education at David Lipscomb High School until he retired from Lipscomb University in 1992. During his tenure at Lipscomb, he enjoyed traveling to several states professionally representing Lipscomb’s Business Education Department. In 1957, he and his wife celebrated the arrival of another daughter, LeNelle.
He wanted to continue preaching and was provided with the opportunity to go on preaching appointments at many congregations in Nashville and surrounding counties to fill in for preachers who were gone to preach in gospel meetings or for a congregation until they could acquire the newly hired preacher. He also enjoyed being invited to lead singing at meetings at various congregations.
In 1958, he went to tryout at the congregation in Nolensville, TN, and was hired on the condition that he would stay at least a year. He accepted the assignment, as long as, the work would seem to go well. Bro. Wyatt preached full-time, conducted annual meetings with many different visiting ministers as well as annual successful VBS programs, longer than that ‘one year’ from 1958 through 1986. During this time at Nolensville, while teaching at David Lipscomb, he pursued and received his Masters of Education degree in 1962.
In 1986, he began leading singing and was the associate minister at Shelby Ave. church of Christ. He was asked to become an elder at Shelby and continued and completed this work on a “twenty-five-year plan”. When he retired from preaching and before they placed membership with a local congregation, Ivynell and he visited all the congregations to which he had been sent for preaching appointments before his work had begun at Nolensville. They were able to reminisce those previous years with old friends. After all the visits they had made, for at least a year, they decided to settle down and place membership together until her death in 2020, at which time they had been married for 74 years. He continued to attend Crieve Hall church and loved interacting and encouraging the young men of the congregation. Although retired, he continued spiritual work by facilitating placement of fill-in and sometimes permanent song leaders from the congregation to assist other local congregations. His magnetic personality was sought after church services by many former students who are members and also many visiting former students. Also, while isolated from people in the community due to the pandemic, he appreciated many calls and even socially distanced visits from the young men and deacons of the church.
He was able to continue in later years to enjoy being surrounded by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were always the joy of his life.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial would be appreciated to any of the following organizations:
Freed Hardeman University
Lipscomb Academy
World Christian Broadcasting
Churches of Christ Disaster Relief
Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at 12:00 Noon (visitation 10 a.m. – 12 Noon) at Crieve Hall Church of Christ, 4806 Trousdale Drive, Nashville, TN 37220 by Edward Short, Bill Watkins, and Wavell Stewart. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery. Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Arrangements by Woodbine Funeral Home, Hickory Chapel, 615-331-1952.
