Oxford to honor longtime chef and music educator Jeffrey Callaway

Jeffrey Callaway, a familiar face in Oxford’s kitchens and band rooms, died Jan. 10 at age 62 after complications from open-heart surgery. The community will mark his life with a Celebration of Life from 5 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 25 at Proud Larry’s, featuring music and light refreshments.

"A Celebration of Life has been planned in Oxford for the late Jeffrey Callaway..." captures the event organizers’ intent to bring neighbors together. Callaway’s biography links two pillars of Lafayette County life: culinary hospitality and music education. He worked as a chef at local establishments including Volta and The Crawdad Hole, and he was a trombonist and a former drum major for the Pride of the South Band at the University of Mississippi. He also taught beginner band and led summer band programs that introduced generations of students to brass and wind instruments.

The loss matters locally because Callaway’s roles were both cultural and economic. Restaurants such as Volta and The Crawdad Hole are small-business hubs where chefs build customer relationships and seasonal employment; losing a chef with deep local ties reverberates through staff networks and regulars. On the education side, his work with beginner band and summer programs supplied low-cost music instruction that helps sustain school band rosters, supports marching band budgets, and funnels student participation into university-level programs like the Pride of the South Band. Those flows matter to Lafayette County’s identity and to the local economy that benefits from campus events and music-related spending.

Practical details for friends, former students, and patrons: the Celebration of Life will take place at Proud Larry’s on Jan. 25, 5 to 7 p.m., with music and light refreshments. Full obituary and visitation details are available through the funeral-home listing for those who need additional information or wish to send condolences.

For residents who knew Callaway through a summer band session, a school concert, or a late-night meal, the gathering is an opportunity to share memories and to support one another. Losing a community figure like Callaway also highlights the informal ways civic life is maintained—teachers and chefs who volunteer time, mentor young people, and keep hometown institutions running.

The takeaway? If you were touched by his teaching or hospitality, show up Jan. 25 or reach out to the family through the funeral-home listing; small acts of presence and remembrance do a lot for people left behind. Our two cents? Bring a story to tell—those personal memories are the real tribute.