Marvin Buford Babb Jr

Mr. Marvin Buford Babb, Jr, 87, died Thursday, December 15, 2022, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi. The funeral service will be Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 2:00 P.M. in the chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Brother Will Anderson and Brother Bobby Cobb officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service in West Hall beginning at 12:00 noon. Burial will follow at Eastover Memorial Cemetery.

Mr. Babb was born on July 24, 1935, in Memphis, Tennessee to the late Marvin Sr. and Ollie Blanche Wilbourn Babb. He attended University High School in Oxford and was a member of the football team and a pitcher for the baseball program. Mr. Babb was member of the 1952 Little 10 Football Championship team, the first football championship in the school’s history. He graduated high school in 1953 and attended Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi, on a football scholarship. Mr. Babb served his nation and state in the Mississippi Army National Guard, with a notable active-duty deployment to the University of Mississippi during the unrest around the university’s integration by James Meredith. He retired from the Guard after 41 years. As a part of his service, Mr. Babb ran the Oxford Armory for more than 25 years. He is a past Commander of the American Legion Post 55 in Oxford. Mr. Babb and his wife Lavera were married for 69 years and were active members of South Oxford Methodist Church. He loved football and worked as a referee for many years. Mr. Babb was a past leader of the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America Troop 146 and was an avid woodworker. He looked forward to his annual National Guard fish fry.

Mr. Babb is survived by his wife, Lavera Anderson Babb of Oxford, MS and a son, William ‘Andy’ Babb and his wife, Debi, of Oxford, MS.

Memorial contributions in Mr. Babb’s memory may be made to South Oxford Methodist Church, 2920 South Lamar Boulevard, Oxford, MS 38655.