Wyatte Leon O’Steen Sr.

Posted on August 14, 2020

Wyatte Leon O’Steen Sr., 87, went to his heavenly home on Aug. 10, 2020.

He was born on Aug. 31,192, in Mayo to Barney Grover O’Steen and Mildred Land O’Steen.

Wyatte is survived by: his wife of 25 years, Marie McMillan O’Steen; sisters, Ouida Edwards of Buford, Ga., and Diane Jackson and husband, Harold, of Tallahassee; sons, Wyatte O’Steen Jr. and wife, Katrina, of O’Brien, and Riley O’Steen and wife, Ashley, of Mayo; daughters, Angie O’Steen Geary and husband, Tom, of Wakefield, R.I., Sheree O’Steen Brown and husband, Freddy, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Julie O’Steen Young and husband, Randall, of Fernandina Beach; two step-children, Loren Ezell and Kiki Puhl of Perry; 21 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.

Wyatte was a man of many accomplishments. He was a fourth generation farmer who created a thriving dairy business he ran for 36 years. His shrewd business savvy enabled him to provide well for his continually growing, large family.

His athletic prowess earned him a football scholarship through the University of Florida, even though he never played high school football. He played college baseball and basketball also.

As a cattleman and dairy farmer, he was selected as Florida’s Outstanding Young Farmer for his contributions to agriculture and the community. Always on the cutting edge of production and marketing, he helped found the first farmer-owned marketing cooperative in Florida and served as vice president and director for many years.

His farming was balanced with a lifelong love of horses and rodeo. Not only did he train and sell many successful roping horses, he was a calf roping champion and was honored with a lifetime Gold Card membership at the age of 50 by the Professional Calf Roping Association.

Along with these interests, Wyatte had a passion for foxhunting and played a significant role in the breeding and development of champion Walker fox hounds for almost 50 years.

In 1991 his fox hound won the Superbowl of foxhunting, the All American. Wyatte also was awarded the A.J. Nichols Lifetime Achievement award in 2000. An accomplished fox hunter in North Carolina once said probably 75 percent of fox hounds in America go back to O’Steen bloodlines.

Wyatte was recognized several times throughout life for his financial expertise. At the young age of 37, he was selected to serve as director for one of Florida’s largest financial institutions, and served for 28 years. He was a founding member of one of North Florida’s new banks in 1997.

Of all his achievements, Wyatte’s proudest moments came from his beautiful family. He was the father of six children and two step-children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who fondly refer to him as “Pa;” many of them share his drive for success, his love of horses, the hunt and friendly competition at any level.

Funeral services for immediate family will be held at Alton Family Life Center on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 11 a.m. followed by interment at Alton Cemetery. The service will be broadcast live through Burns Funeral Home’s Facebook page and will be broadcast on FM 105.5 radio for those who wish to view or listen. For those who wanting to pay respects, a drive-by visitation scheduled for 12:30 p.m. will be done at O’Steen’s Arena on County Road 353 following the funeral.