Woody Lovejoy, 94, the former owner of the iconic Warehouse restaurant in Oxford died at home Sunday surrounded by his family.

Lovejoy opened Warehouse in the Country Village Mall near the Square sometime in the 1970s. It quickly became a gathering place for University of Mississippi students. It was located on top of the former J.W. Forrester’s.

Lovejoy sold the restaurant in the early 1980s; however, a fire destroyed the building in 1986.

A Lafayette County native, Lovejoy served in the U.S. Army where he earned a Purple Heart during the Korean War.

Following his retirement from the Army, Woody and his wife Vera returned to Oxford, where he began his career in the restaurant industry.

Along with the Warehouse, Lovejoy opened “Woody’s” in Tupelo and Columbus, and “Woody’s on the Water” in Columbus.

His funeral will be at 2 p.m. on Friday in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with the Rev. Steve Quarles officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday and again on Friday, before the service at 1 p.m. Burial will follow in Shiloh Cemetery.

Click here to read the full obituary on the Waller Funeral Home website.