The family of Mayo Peter Bartlett has confirmed his passing on September 11, 2025. He passed peacefully at Greenwich Hospital following an extended illness. He was 86 years old.
He was born in Rye, New York on July 3, 1939, to Mayo and Elizabeth Bartlett. He loved sports, art, jazz and travel, but most of all, despite growing up during the Jim Crow Era, he loved people and was always focusing on the best in humanity, often saying, and truly believing “most people are good.” Perhaps his perspective was a gift from his father, who would always proclaim that “we have been wonderfully blessed” because we had each other, and others who entered our lives and made life more enjoyable.
He was an outstanding basketball player who played in Europe. He loved to tell people he “was a great shooter” and shared his skills with countless young people he coached. While he loved helping the kids improve as basketball players, he was more interested in helping to prepare them for life. He was also a jazz enthusiast who was particularly drawn to Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown and this was reflected in his extensive collection of LPs.
Mayo attended North Carolina Central University, where he became a member of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated in the Fall of 1959, and later graduated with a degree in accounting. While attending North Carolina Central University he met his wife Ernestine “Tina” Conner who was pursuing a chemistry degree at West Virginia State University. They were married in 1961, and lived as husband and wife for 51 years, until Tina’s passing in 2012. They were partners in the truest sense of the word, and supported each other in innumerable ways. Particularly memorable is his support for her when she pursued a law degree while they each worked full time and raised their family. Together, they also traveled extensively throughout the world. After graduating from college, he embarked upon an accounting career as a Treasury Agent, and later as an auditor for the IRS. Known for his friendships, he cultivated relationships during his career that endured for more than 50 years.
Mayo leaves behind children Monique Haygood (Eric), Dana Bryant (Craig) and Mayo Gregory Bartlett (Judy). Perhaps he was most joyous about his five grandchildren, affectionately known as his “dividends”! They are Myles Massey, Sara and Ethan Bartlett, and Jordan and Dylan Bryant. He was their number one fan, rooting for them as they played basketball, soccer, lacrosse and engaged in their track and field careers. More importantly, he loved the people they had become.
He loved his sister Juanita Merritt and his brother Robert “Bob” Bartlett, both of whom predeceased him. He leaves behind a host of cousins, nieces and nephews, and many friends.
We celebrate his extraordinary life, and are deeply grateful for the many life lessons he taught, and continues to teach us. As he was known to say, “it’s been a good run”.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ernestine Bartlett Memorial Scholarship fund at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Checks should be payable to the “Pace Haub Law School” with the “Ernestine Bartlett Scholarship” on the memo line. Donations can be mailed to: Pace University, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 419268, Boston, MA 02241-9268.
