Dr. Desmond Laurence Kincaid, Ph.D., 93 years old, of Oxford, Mississippi, died on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, of natural causes at The Blake in Flowood, Mississippi. A visitation will be held Wednesday, July 30, 2025, from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. at Waller Funeral Home. A private family graveside service will be held in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.
Desmond, son of Alfred and Olivia Kincaid, was born on September 5, 1931, and grew up in Santa Babara, California. From a young age, he displayed a passion for music, playing the organ in his church starting at just 9 years old. He stated that he did it because he enjoyed doing so. This sparked a love of music that would be a constant, driving force throughout Desmond’s life. When he moved to Oxford, he continued to play at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church for over 2 decades.
A graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara, Desmond obtained his teaching degree, before attending The University of Washington where he received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Performing Arts with an emphasis on concert piano. It was during this time period that he met his wife, Joanne, while accompanying her during her master’s recital. They were married in Seattle, Washington on August 23, 1958. They lived in Bakersfield afterwards, both teaching in the public school system for several years and then in Fullerton, California for several more. This is where all four of their children were born. During this time period, he attended The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas for his Doctorate of Music.
The family moved to Oxford, Mississippi in 1970, where Desmond began teaching at The University of Mississippi and did so until his retirement in December of 1998. He was a long-time member of the University of Mississippi music faculty, teaching and contributing his talents yearly to the Oxford High School annual spring plays. As a concert pianist, he traveled the United States and Europe as an accompanist and solo performer. Desmond’s ultimate dream was to play a concert for his relatives in Ireland, an opportunity that came true for him. It was not on a stage, but in the comfort of their homes, which he later admitted actually meant more to him. Though he’d graced the stage of Carnegie Hall, he remained humble, rarely discussing his own successes as an accomplished pianist. Desmond instead looked only to his audience, whether strangers, family or friends, thinking only of what joy he could offer them through his musical gift.
During his retirement, Desmond became an avid traveler, taking months long trips to his parents’ homestead in Ireland to visit his relatives and crisscrossing Europe several times over. In addition to his own alma maters, he developed a love for Sewanee College, where his son and grandson attended school. He took advantage of any opportunity to visit Sewanee, with his family often joining him. He enjoyed returning to Santa Barbara often, where he’d reminisce on his childhood and undergraduate years. Even when his memory began to fail him, Desmond’s face still lit up when he saw the home where his parents lived at the beginning of their marriage, and the many places they frequented in his childhood.
Throughout his life, Desmond was known for his honesty and ethics. He had a happy, content nature, with gratitude for all the little blessings in life. Some of his favorite days were those spent in his garden, tending to the earth and soil, and appreciating the beauty of his flowers.
In addition to his parents, Desmond was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne Elizabeth Davies Kincaid; his sisters, Maxine Coburn and Beryl Kincaid; and his brother, Warren Kincaid.
Desmond is survived by his daughter, Lisa Kincaid Odom and her husband, Frank, of Oxford, Mississippi; sons, Bryce Kincaid and his wife, Kristy, of Madison, Mississippi, Steven Kincaid and his wife, Andrae, of Brandon, Mississippi, and David Kincaid of Oxford, Mississippi; ten grandchildren, Frank Odom III (Katie), Joanne Odom, Bliss Odom, Olivia Kincaid, Caroline Kincaid, Michael Kincaid, William Kincaid, Drew Kincaid, Mitch Kincaid, and Josh Kincaid; as well as three great-grandchildren, Walker, Ford, and Caroline Odom.
Expressions of sympathy or memorial contributions in Desmond’s memory may be made to The Sewanee Fund, The University of the South, University Relations Advancement Services, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, Tennessee 37383, or online at https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/4563/donations/new?a=2823155.
