Larry Wiles

Larry Wiles, 77, of Oakland, Tennessee went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. He was born August 8, 1949 in Chickasha, Oklahoma to Roy Wiles and Foye Lee (Foster) Wiles. He grew up in Kearney, Nebraska. He was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Rex Wiles.

He is survived by one older brother, Gary (Angela) Wiles, and younger siblings Dick (Nancy) Wiles and Lori (Mark) Hasty.

Larry married Kathey Joslyn on August 14, 1971, and the couple recently celebrated 55 years of marriage. They had three children: Ben (Laura) Wiles of Crystal City, Missouri; Terri (Rick) Fought of Lakeland, Tennessee; and Christy (Gabe) Gillespie of Lubbock, Texas. One of his greatest joys was being a grandfather to seven grandchildren: Katie and Erica Wiles; Ian, Rowan, and Evelyn Fought; and Sadie and Claire Gillespie.

Larry was a veteran of the United States Navy, Medical Service Corps, where he served for 21 years. Drafted during the Vietnam Conflict, he served as a Corpsman, Dietician, and Food Service Director. During his time in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and a master's degree from Troy University. Following his military service, Larry continued to work in hospital food service until his retirement in 2009.

Larry was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, serving several congregations as an Elder or Deacon.

In his free time, Larry enjoyed amateur photography, fishing, and knifemaking. He loved traveling the country with his family, and over the years visited 47 of the 50 states — missing only North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Services with military honors for Mr. Wiles will be held at 11 Wednesday morning, September 2, 2026, at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland. Interment will be private. Visitation will be from 10AM until 11AM at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Corin Read Christian Camp, c/o Northside Church of Christ, 917 North East St., Benton, Arkansas 72015, or to Autism Resources of the Mid-South, PO Box 341041, Memphis, TN 38144, or online at www.autismresourcesmidsouth.org.