Dr. Wayne Terry Lamar

1939 - 2025

Due to inclement winter weather, the memorial service for Dr. Wayne Terry Lamar will be rescheduled at a later date.

Dr. Wayne Terry Lamar, a longtime Oxford physician known for his compassion, integrity and service to the community, died Dec. 29, 2025, peacefully at home. He was 86.

Dr. Lamar lived a life marked by service, faith and quiet excellence. A physician by calling, he trained at the Campbell Clinic before returning to Oxford to serve the community he loved as an orthopedic surgeon. Over decades of practice, he earned the trust of generations of patients through skill and compassion, never turning away a patient because of an inability to pay.

He was instrumental in establishing Oxford Baptist Hospital as a leading regional center for orthopedics and sports medicine. He also practiced orthopedics at New Albany Baptist Hospital, helping to elevate the standard of care across North Mississippi. In addition, he served as team physician for the University of Mississippi, providing dedicated care to Ole Miss student-athletes.

A familiar sight around Oxford, Dr. Lamar was often seen walking, running or biking to and from his office or the hospital, frequently still dressed in surgical greens and sometimes delaying traffic along South Lamar Boulevard. He was also known for driving his orange Volkswagen Karmann Ghia with the top down year-round, a reflection of his joyful and unpretentious spirit.

During the Vietnam War era, Dr. Lamar served as a surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1970 to 1972 at Keesler Air Force Base, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Earlier in life, he attended the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of the 1959 and 1960 national championship football teams. The 1960 team, Ole Miss's only recognized national champion, defeated Rice in the Sugar Bowl, an achievement he cherished throughout his life. He was also a member of the M Club and the Sigma Chi fraternity, Eta Chapter.

Guided by a deep Christian faith, Dr. Lamar lived with humility, conviction and grace. Above all, he was devoted to his family and to his church, where he taught Sunday School.

Survivors include his wife, Linda Shelton Lamar; a sister, Elizabeth Lamar Peebles of Somerville, Tennessee; three children, William Chadwick Lamar (Nicole) of Darden Lake, Leslie Lamar Mallory (Robert) of Memphis, and Lucius Mallory Lamar (Kerry Hamilton) of Taylor; and seven grandchildren: Bridges Lamar Adams (Paul), William Chadwick Lamar Jr. (Kara), Thomas Giles Lamar (Olivia), Robert Ellis Mallory Jr., Lucius Lamar Mallory, William Thomas Lamar Mallory, and Merrill Lamar Norris (Landon) and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Chadwick Lamar; two brothers, Thomas Eugene Lamar and John Jones Lamar; a sister, Suzanne Lamar Anderson (Bill); and his parents, William Thomas Lamar and Estelle Jones Lamar of New Albany.

Memorial services will be held Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. at Oxford-University United Methodist Church and at 3 p.m. at First Methodist Church in New Albany, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oxford-University United Methodist Church, First Methodist Church of New Albany.