James Lawrence "Larry" Fears

1937 - 2025

Larry Fears, 88, of Tupelo, went to be with the Lord on December 30, 2025. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family members, at Sanctuary Hospice after a years long battle with Parkinson's Disease and Lewy body dementia.

Born November 11, 1937, in Amory, Mississippi, where he was raised by his grandmother, Lena Mundy Fears (affectionately known as Mama Fears), from the age of 2 years old. He attended Amory schools, where he acquired a lifelong love of music, playing the trumpet, coronet, and harmonica, and playing in the Amory High School band. He earned his Associates Degree from Itawamba Junior College in Fulton and then attended Mississippi State University and was a lifelong fan of the MSU Bulldogs. He was in the National Guard and was activated by President Kennedy to help quell the 1962 riots at the University of Mississippi.

He married his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 67 years, Dorothy "Dot" Ann Toney, on June 29, 1958, and together, they moved to Tupelo to start and raise a family.

He learned and honed type setting and printing press skills at his paternal grandfather's printing company, Anglin's Printery, in Tupelo. He was a very savvy businessman and while working for Weatherall's in the 1970s, he became an integral part in putting together a business plan for the then Bank of Mississippi (Cadence Bank) to open its own in-house print shop. He spent the majority of his career in Tupelo as a printer, retiring from BancorpSouth (Cadence Bank) after 20 plus years as manager of their company-wide print shop and printing services.

He loved the outdoors and nature. In his spare time, he enjoyed working in his garden growing fruits and vegetables learned from his youth through his grandmother, tending his flowerbeds and keeping his lawn immaculately, sometimes to a fault. He loved taking his family on road trip vacations each summer to amusement parks, vacationing at Florida beaches, and camping trips all over the United States. He was also an avid storyteller and was the king of Dad jokes and dry humor.

Larry was an active member of First Baptist Church in Tupelo, MS. He is survived by his wife, Dot, a son, David of Pontotoc, daughters, Lauren Fears Shelton (Mike) of Arlington, Tennessee, and Christi Fears Phillips (Brian) of Saltillo, Mississippi, and grandchildren Jamie Horton, AnnaLynn Phillips, Jonah and Luke Fears.

He was preceded in death by his father, Norval James Fears, his mother, Ruth Anglin Sandefur, and his beloved paternal grandmother, Lena Mundy Fears.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt love and gratitude to the nurses, CNAs, the staff, and volunteers at Sanctuary Hospice House for loving and taking such good care of Larry and his family during his stay there.

Funeral arrangements are not complete at this time; Pegues Funeral Directors in Tupelo has charge. The family requests that any donations be given to Sanctuary Hospice or a charity of the donor's choice.