Obituary of James Malcolm Wyatt

Mr. James Malcolm Wyatt of Ozark passed away at his home on Thursday, March 10, 2022, only three days before his 78th birthday. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, March 13, at Ozark First United Methodist Church, with Reverend Dr. Jason Thrower and Reverend Dr. Billy Gaither officiating. Visitation will be held in the church sanctuary Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until time for the service. Following the service, cremains will be interred in the FUMC Meditation Garden, a very special place to the Wyatts, who were instrumental in creating this sacred memorial. Holman Funeral Home of Ozark is in charge of arrangements. Jimmy, as he was known to his friends, was born in Talladega, Alabama, to William Garner and Zelma Fincher Wyatt on March 13, 1944. He was a 1962 graduate of Tuscaloosa High School, and in 1966 he earned his B.A. degree in History from Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, Jimmy played football for the Commodores and was selected as the recipient of the prestigious Dan McGugin Award, named for the most successful coach in Vanderbilt history. In addition, Jimmy earned two degrees from the University of Alabama, an M.S. degree in Secondary Education in 1967, and in 1986 he graduated from the first Executive MBA class offered at UA. Although he would have never thought of himself as such, Jimmy Wyatt was indeed both a gentleman and a scholar. In 1972 Jimmy and his wife, Robin McCrory Wyatt, moved from Birmingham to Ozark, where Jimmy had been named head football coach at Carroll High School. He remained CHS coach for two years and then decided to try his wings in the business world at Frit Industries, ultimately becoming Senior Vice President of Operations. Upon retiring from Frit after more than 30 years, Jimmy still wasn’t done, and for the last ten years of his career, he served as Vice President at Agri-Business Technologies in Albany, GA, often working remotely long before it became commonplace. It was rare to enter the Wyatt’s back door and not spot Jimmy at the kitchen table working from his laptop. In his personal life, Jimmy was active in Ozark First United Methodist Church and the Boys and Girls Club of Ozark. For many years he served on the City of Ozark Zoning Board. At First Methodist Jimmy served as Chair of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, and member of the Administrative Board and the Finance Committee. One of Jimmy’s most important contributions to his church, along with his wife Robin, was the establishment of a Young Adult Sunday school class. When the Boys and Girls Club came to Ozark, Jimmy became one of the first members and served for many years as President of the Board. He truly had a servant’s heart, both for his church and his community. Despite a career spanning more than 40 years, Jimmy was not all work and no play. He loved travel and even enjoyed making the detailed arrangements for the many trips he and Robin took throughout the USA and abroad. James Malcolm Wyatt is survived by his wife, Robin McCrory Wyatt; his daughter, Page Wyatt Long, and her husband, Patrick Haught Long, of Birmingham; and his son, William Andrew Wyatt, and his wife, Samantha Shaw Wyatt, of Decatur. He is also survived by his four grandchildren, to whom he was fondly known as “Ji”: Ashleigh Ann and Wyatt Andrew Long, and William Cooper and Caroline McCrory Wyatt. They will all miss him terribly. On the day of Jimmy’s death, Robin said, “He was a good man, and he lived a full life, every single day.” Surely there can be no greater confirmation of a life so well lived and a man so well loved. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jimmy Wyatt can be made to Ozark First United Methodist Church, 167 East Broad Street, Ozark, AL 36360; or to the Boys and Girls Club of Ozark, 195 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Ozark, AL 36360.