Oxford remembers longtime barber Larry Tedford, local fixture dies at 79

Larry D. Tedford, known across Oxford for decades as Larry “The Barber,” died May 19, 2026, at his residence in Oxford at age 79, leaving behind one of those hometown legacies that reaches far beyond a shop chair. In a town where familiar businesses often double as gathering places, Tedford became part of the daily rhythm of Lafayette County life.

For more than 60 years, Tedford welcomed generations of customers into his chair, a span long enough for boys to become fathers and then bring in their own children for a haircut. Local coverage described him as a longtime Oxford barber and a beloved community figure, the kind of local fixture whose presence is measured not just in years but in the number of families who kept coming back.

His death also marks a loss for a wide family circle. Tedford was survived by six children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to his obituary. A public memorial listing gave his birth date as July 12, 1946, underscoring the full arc of a life that stretched from the postwar years into a modern Oxford that still knew him by the same nickname.

The arrangements give friends, neighbors and former customers a chance to remember him together. A visitation was scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2026, beginning at 1 p.m. at Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford. The funeral home said Tedford passed away in Oxford, and the family asked that memorial donations go to a charity of the donor’s choice rather than flowers.

That request reflects the same quiet, practical sensibility that often defines people who become community institutions. Tedford’s work was never limited to trimming hair. For decades, he occupied a small but important place in Oxford life, where conversation, memory and routine often meant as much as the service itself. When a barber serves a town that long, the loss is felt in more than one household.