 He was the only child of Howard Earl ("Doc") Pitts (1889–1951), a veterinarian from Marietta, Ohio, who fought in France with the Expeditionary Forces during World War I.Before returning to the States, Doc married Denyse Dinin in Decize.When Jesse (named after Jess Willard, the boxer) was 7, his parents separated and he went to France with his mother.