Gerald Littleton Batte left this world on Saturday, August 27, 2022. Now his limitless love and legacy will live on in his wife Virginia, their children Lauren and Clinton, their grandchildren Maia, Wyatt, Jaden, and Gillian, and the countless people he cared for throughout his life.
From a very early age, Jerry had an innate gift of caring for people. Whether helping his parents or attending to his much younger sister, Jerry was intricately involved in the family's life. So, it was natural that as an adult, he found a professional calling in medicine – a career that continually provided new avenues for caring and healing. The developing field of psychiatry replaced early days spent in obstetrics. Throughout his life, his medical training created opportunities to see new and different places and learn about different cultures both domestic and foreign. The constants, however, were his patients, and his experiences while caring for them cemented a commitment to serving and helping others, particularly those in need.
Jerry was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on October 3, 1934, the first child of Julia Townsend and Gerald Boyd Batte. Five years later, the family expanded with the birth of brother Jim and again 14 years later when sister Janette arrived. His beloved Grandmother Janette (Ma) Townsend lived with the family, often rotating between her children’s households, and taught him much about life, loving family, and Southern cooking.
After public elementary school in Baton Rouge, Jerry began seventh grade at the Louisiana State University Laboratory School. There he graduated high school, started college on the same campus three days later, and in 1959 graduated from the New Orleans LSU Medical School. When asked about his education, he frequently said that he had attended LSU from age 11 (7th grade) through medical school graduation at 24!
Virginia and Jerry met while he was interning in Dallas at Parkland Memorial Hospital, and she was teaching. The year for him was hard work, but he counted it as the most significant of his life up until that point because he met his future wife and life partner. Service in the United States Navy followed his work in Dallas, beginning at the School of Aviation Medicine at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, and then on active duty attached to Carrier Air Group 5 stationed in San Diego, California. He
truly enjoyed being a Naval officer and its accompanying responsibilities of serving the country and caring for the men assigned to him. He made lifelong friends, learned to fly an airplane, visited the near East (Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan), had the rare experience of traveling via aircraft carrier from San Diego around Cape Horn to Norfolk, Virginia, and helped launch planes while at the Cape.
After his years of Naval service, Jerry began his residency training at Emory University Medical School in Atlanta, where he married Virginia. While still at Emory as a post-residency faculty member, their first child, Lauren, was born. In late 1968, the family moved to Houston, where Jerry established his private practice of psychiatry. Son Clinton joined the family in 1969.
When first in Houston, Jerry worked as Medical Director of the Community Mental Health Center at Hedgecroft Hospital, then as a part-time faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine. Once established in the city, he began doing outpatient psychotherapy as a solo practitioner, the work that constituted the bulk of his career. Later, pursuing an instinct to serve in public health, he became the medical director of the first Harris County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Crisis Unit. Then he joined the Houston VA Hospital medical faculty, where he was involved in developing and leading the PTSD unit there.
By the late 1990s (with retirement on the horizon), Jerry again found avenues for using his medical training. He took his first trip with a Christ-based mission group, Faith in Practice (FIP), which proved to be a life-changing experience. He first went with FIP to Costa Rica, working with a small construction group. As FIP developed into a full-fledged medical mission group, he made multiple trips to Guatemala, where he used his skills to help with surgeries and pharmacies and even as a cook for the mission teams. Jerry had a life-long passion for cooking, often with great success and other times – as his children will attest – exploring new concepts of ingredient pairings. Do you remember when the food processor was a new thing? His family certainly does!
Jerry retired in 1999 and offered his service to Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (MDPC) pastor Gary Ferbert by declaring, “here I am, use me.” This led to his involvement with a team that started the Stephen Ministry program, which he led for eight years. He also served as Caring Ministries Elder on the MDPC Administrative Session and joined outreach mission trips to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Kenya.
After leaving Stephen Ministries, Jerry joined the MDPC choir, where he served a term as president of the choir board. Music began early in Jerry’s life with piano lessons and teachers who became guiding mentors. His love for the art of the piano and his abilities opened doors throughout his life. He had a lovely tenor voice and had sung with the Robert Shaw Chorale while he and Virginia lived in Atlanta.
During his professional career, Jerry served as Counselor and Secretary-Treasurer of the Houston Psychiatric Society. He was a member of the Texas Medical Association and was elected a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Jerry leaves behind his wife Virginia and their two children, Lauren Elizabeth Batte of Nashville, TN, and Gerald Clinton Batte of Austin, TX. Virginia was truly the most loved person in his life. However, his love for Lauren and Clinton simply had no bounds, and he was immensely proud of them both. He loved and appreciated Lauren’s husband, Jim Hester, and Clinton’s fiancé Dorina Vogt for loving Lauren and Clinton. Virginia and Jerry were blessed with four wonderful grandchildren – Wyatt Hester, Gillian Hester, Maia Batte Hewitt, and Jaden Batte.
In addition to his immediate family, Jerry is survived by brother Jim (Gay) Batte, sister Janette Batte, beloved cousins Katie Hurter of Spring, Nina Hurter and Wayne White of Austin, and multiple cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A memorial service and reception honoring Gerald Batte's life will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022, in the Chapel at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, 11612 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77057. Parking is available in the north lot. Services begin at 11:00 a.m. with a reception immediately following. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to either Faith in Practice, Stephen Ministries or the charitable organization of your choice.
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