Wyatt Banks

BANKS, Wyatt Sean

Wyatt Sean Banks passed away on February 21, 2024, at the age of 19 years old. He is survived by his parents, Sean and Emily Banks; sister, Caroline Banks; brother, Nolan Banks; grandmothers, Suseen Banks (grandfather, Jerry Banks (deceased) and Susan Conaway (husband, Elmer Conaway); grandfather, Bob Heurich; uncle, Dr. Steven Banks, Captain US Navy (wife, Tonya, children, Gardner, Reid, Hudson and Georgia); uncle, William Banks (wife, Victoria, children, Henry "Hank" and Sutton); aunt, Gretchen Heurich (Jonathan Obuseh -fiancée); and aunt, Sarah Egbert (husband, Paul, daughter, Lorelei).

Wyatt was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Christ the King School and while there received the Owen Stokes Scholarship as well as the Peacemaker awards. He is the state of Georgia's only five-time National Geographic Geography Bee finalist, winning the school competition in grades 4-8 and advancing each year to the state finals. In addition to his academic success Wyatt enjoyed football, basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, chess, church choir and piano throughout his youth, through both school and NYO.

Wyatt attended the Marist School where he excelled academically, making Dean's List all 18 semesters, earned the Yale Book Award his Junior year and the Physical Fitness award his Senior year. He played football for six years and was a reserve offensive lineman on the 2020 AAAA State Championship team. His senior year he started at right tackle and served as team chaplain on the 2023 AAAAAA State Quarterfinalist team.

Wyatt enrolled in the Morehead Honors College at the University of Georgia and became a brother in the Kappa Sigma fraternity's Beta Lambda chapter. His intentions were to pursue a double major in Economics and Political Science with the hopes of attending law school after graduation.

While this script of his life tells one side about Wyatt, it does not come close to describing the person he was. Wyatt had a big heart, always selflessly willing to help someone hurting or in need. He always offered to use his big size and strength to help grandparents and neighbors with chores. He loved to cook and became quite a proficient baker (challa was a specialty) and chef (soups, baked mac and cheese, and gourmet sandwiches). He loved to travel and kept a map of the world in his room with all the locations he had visited marked with pins. Wyatt was a friend to all who knew him. But most of all he loved his family and friends. He, along with his sister and brother, are the lights of his parents' life.

Wyatt's family will receive friends Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at H.M. Patterson & Son – Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, 4550 Peachtree Road NE, Brookhaven, Georgia 30319. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 1:30 PM in the Cathedral of Christ the King, 2699 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305.