Dr. Oscar Smith "Buzzy" Spivey, Jr., M.D.

After a valiant three-year battle with cancer, Dr. Oscar Smith “Buzzy” Spivey, Jr., M.D. transitioned peacefully to his heavenly home on May 15, 2026, surrounded by family and friends on his beloved Mossy Branch Farm.

He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Vicki Monroe Spivey, his daughter, Frances Monroe Spivey, and son, Oscar Smith “Kav” Spivey III. He is additionally survived by two sisters, Gena (William) VanDerKloot and Rody (John) Steffens. He is predeceased by a brother, John Spivey.

Buzzy was born Aug. 5, 1953 in Pensacola, Fla, the eldest son of pediatrician Dr. Oscar Smith Spivey and Rosa Schofield Spivey. He spent his childhood and young adulthood in Macon, Ga., followed by college at the University of Georgia, medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, and a five-year urological residency at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1984, accompanied by two horses, a cow, two dogs, a cat and a bird, Buzz and Vicki relocated to McMinnville and Mossy Branch Farm, where he would raise his two children and spend his happiest days.

Obituaries often veer into platitudes, creating undue myth of ordinary men. Yet Buzzy was (at least in the eyes of his daughter, who pens these words) the rare man for whom the superlatives are duly warranted.

Upon news of his passing, countless friends and family have reached out, most sharing an almost identical message: “Your father was the kindest man I’ve ever known."

Kindness, forgiveness, friends, family and faith — these were the creeds by which he lived. A gifted and empathic physician, he was — and is — esteemed and beloved by both patients and colleagues alike.

His was a life dedicated to true service — service to his family, his friends, his patients, his community — and to the earth of Mossy Branch, the land which he so lovingly tended for over 40 years. Asked by his daughter what profession he might choose were he given a second life, he answered unhesitatingly, “farmer.” Anyone who knew Buzz knew that he found peace with his hands in the dirt or upon the water — growing the tomatoes and cucumbers he transformed into semi-famous pickles and juice, or boating and fishing, from the Tennessee lakes to the Georgia coast. His church was Mother Earth.

Buzz possessed a deep faith and knew unequivocally that his Earthly body was the mere and temporary vessel of his eternal Soul — “You’ll find me in the trees, the wind, and whenever you have your hands in the soil," he said only weeks before his passing.

Never one to self-aggrandize, when accepting the dedication of Ascension St. Thomas River Park Hospital’s new ICU to his 41 years of service, he downplayed his own role and instead emphasized the support of his community, speaking to humanity’s inherent interconnectedness and the necessity of working together in service of a higher goal: “This isn’t (for) me,” he said — it’s (for) all of us. I feel like we’ve done a great job, so as my dad would have said, ‘A job well done.’ Thank y’all, I’m so honored and humbled.”

As I write these words, I’m reminded of the final scene in Harper Lee’s literary classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird." Atticus Finch has lost the fight to defend an innocent man, and as he solemnly and slowly exits the courtroom, Reverend Sykes implores Atticus’ daughter, Scout, to rise to her feet in a show of respect for the noble and honorable man that is her father. “Stand up,” he demands, “Your father’s passin’.”

You always did the right thing, Daddy. It is my greatest privilege and honor to say that I am Dr. Spivey’s daughter, and I will endeavor for the rest of my days to fill the formidable shoes you have left behind.

A public memorial service honoring Dr. Spivey will take place on Thursday, May 21 at 1 p.m. It will be held at Viola First Baptist Church, 327 High St., Morrison.

To honor Dr. Spivey’s legacy of a lifetime of service, The Dr. Oscar Smith (Buzzy) Spivey Jr. Heart of Service Scholarship has been established to provide college scholarship funds to a student exemplifying his commitment to service and stewardship of family, friends, community, God and Mother Earth.

Donations may be made payable to: Warren County High School / Spivey Scholarship; Warren County High School, 199 Pioneer Lane, McMinnville, TN 37110. For further information, please contact Cindy Holland at: (931) 235-4102.

Online condolences may be made at www.highfuneralhome.com.

High Funeral Home and High's Cremations, Inc. are in charge of arrangements. 

Main Street Journal

May 18, 2026