Brannon Barclay Lesesne Jr.

Brannon Barclay Lesesne, Jr., age 82, of Atlanta, Georgia, with many family members present and near, died December 31, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19. Brannon was born on August 21, 1938, to the late Dorothea Kanzler & Brannon Barclay Lesesne.

A native Atlantan, Brannon graduated from Northside High School in 1956. A talented young athlete, he was particularly skilled in football and track. During his senior year, he was the fastest man in the 100-yard dash in the tri-state area of Georgia, Alabama and Florida. He loved being a member of the Red Rose Gang and cherished the special friendships he made in high school. In more recent years, he organized quarterly lunches for any high school friends who wanted to attend and was planning the upcoming 65th class reunion which will be celebrated in 2021.

Brannon graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology, earning a B.S. degree in Industrial Management, proudly claiming a JBO (Just Barely Out). He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and as an alumnus, served as Chapter Advisor. In the early 1990’s, he chaired the committee to raise funds in order to fully renovate the fraternity house and reintroduced the benefit of employing a full-time house mother.

Brannon was a walk-on for Georgia Tech’s football team as both a half back and a defensive back, and at the beginning of his sophomore year earned a full football scholarship. Scheduled to play in the starting lineup, he suffered a broken elbow on the last play of scrimmage before his first game, ending his football career.

During college Brannon began his career in the investment industry as a stock broker with Robinson Humphrey and Co, Inc., and in 1965, he helped open Kidder-Peabody’s first Atlanta office. In 1974 as an Investment Counselor, Brannon started his own fee only investment firm, Lesesne Capital Management, Inc., which now operates as Oakbridge Partners.

As a young adult, Brannon accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and has trusted and spread His word throughout his life. For more than 45 years he actively and consistently participated in a men’s Friday morning Bible study. Brannon and his wife, Kathie, were active members of Mount Paran Church of God prior to joining Peachtree Presbyterian Church. While spending time at Wade Hampton Golf Club, they attended Grace Community Church of Cashiers, NC.

Brannon, an avid and accomplished golfer, qualified for and played in two consecutive USGA Senior Amateur Championships. In 1998, he played at Skokie Country Club outside of Chicago, Illinois, and in 1999, at the Portland Golf Club in Portland, Oregon. In his lifetime Brannon made a hole-in-one four times and shot his age or better 37 times. Brannon was a long-time member of the Capital City Club. It was there that he and his golf buddies would joke, laugh, and exchange cash on small wagers. He was never quite sure if he was ahead or behind financially, but he always looked forward to those outings. In 1984, he joined as a charter member of Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, North Carolina, where he later won two club championships with his partner. He was especially fond of sharing with his friends, family, and other guests the beauty and excellence of the club and golf course, as well as the profound majesty of the mountains. After many years of lobbying, he successfully championed the effort to allow men to wear shorts on the golf course, finally nullifying the “Long Pants Only” policy. In 2016, Brannon organized and coached the Wade Hampton team playing the inter-club Mountain Dual competition in which Wade Hampton won for the first time. Brannon and Kathie enjoyed playing golf together across America and, most of all, in Scotland and Ireland.

His involvement with the Georgia Tech Golf Team was one of Brannon’s great joys. He was one of its biggest cheerleaders and fans. He currently served as committee chairman and actively followed the careers of former team members. When renovations and expansion of the practice facility for the golf team were needed, Brannon became heavily involved in the fundraising campaign. The Georgia Tech Golf program was an important part of Brannon’s life and was daily on his heart and mind.

Another of Brannon’s great joys was his membership and participation in The Breakfast Club. “We aim at nothing and seldom miss.” is their motto. At the time of his election, Brannon was the youngest Ace to lead the club. The lifelong friendships made, handshake swindles, Joker minutes and fun times were remembered and cherished throughout Brannon’s life.

Brannon was an exemplary Christian. He was an adoring husband, a loving brother and uncle, a faithful and loving father, a generous, accepting grandfather and great-grandfather, and a true friend to those lucky enough to call him “friend.” He was a leader, as well as a lifelong student and a fine gentleman golfer. Brannon had an email signature that said, “God is not finished with me yet,” a slogan by which he lived. He is now peacefully at home with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Brannon is survived by Kathie Teas Lesesne, his wife of 30 years who was the love of his life; his three children: Brannon B. “Clay” Lesesne, III, Dodie Lesesne McCoy, Robert T. Lesesne, and their mother Judy Bates, all of the Atlanta area. He was Paw Paw to his eight grandchildren: Chris Lesesne; Casey Lesesne and her fiancé, Mike Padovani; Chad Lesesne; Brannon McCoy and his wife Courtney; Mitchell McCoy; Tommy Lesesne and his wife Leah; Katie Lesesne Bragg and her husband Michael; and Christopher Lesesne; and Paw Paw to his great-grandchildren: Luke and Mary Grace McCoy, with another due in 2021. He is also survived by his brother, Hank Lesesne and his wife, Jean, of Chapel Hill, N.C. as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

H. M. Patterson Funeral Home, Oglethorpe Hill, will be handling the arrangements. Because of these unprecedented times, Brannon will be honored at a private service for family. The family hopes to have a celebration of Brannon’s life in the not-too-distant future.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Grace Community Church, P.O. Box 1574, Cashiers, NC, 28717.