Jerry Wyatt, a local builder whose projects included La Aldea apartments at the UA, died Sunday, apparently of injuries he received in a bicycle accident a day earlier. He was 61.
Wyatt fell from a bike Saturday while riding near North Oracle and West Ina roads, a Pima County sheriff's report says. He was taken to a hospital and released the same day but later died at home.
Wyatt was principal owner and director of operations for Lang Wyatt. He partnered with Martin Lang to form Lang Wyatt Construction in 1998, after previously joining Martin C. Lang General Contractor in 1990.
Wyatt and Lang built the 164-unit La Aldea Graduate and Professional Student Apartments, 825 E. Fifth St, for the University of Arizona in 2003 and worked on other notable projects in Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Other projects completed by Wyatt include additions to the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab at the UA, a family-resource center on Miracle Mile for La Paloma Family Services, Drexel Heights fire stations, headquarters for the Golder Ranch Fire District and renovations to the UA's McKale Center.
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He was known as the consummate professional during his more than 30 years in the construction industry.
"I can't express enough how wonderful he was," said Lita Burke, who works for Universal Wallboard and had known him for 10 years. "He was kind to a fault. He had the highest level of integrity."
"He had a wonderful sense of humor," Burke added. "People thought he was quiet, but when you got to know him, he was amazingly funny."
Wyatt also was known for generosity and worked to help several local charities, including Habitat for Humanity and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
He was set to serve as chairman of the southern division of the Arizona Builders' Alliance. He would have started in April.
"I was looking forward to working with him," said David Pittman, director of the alliance's southern division. "Jerry was a very impressive guy. He was a terrific businessman and community leader."
The Cornerstone Building Foundation named Lang Wyatt the Small General Contractor of the Year in Southern Arizona in 2005 and 2009, Pittman said.
Wyatt belonged to the U.S. Green Building Council and received his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
His survivors include his wife, Janice; mother, Adele; brother, Don; and sister, Ann Browne.
Funeral services are pending.
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at 807-8430 or arivera@azstarnet.com