People are leaving flowers at a Tillsonburg barber shop as clients, friends, and fellow small-business owners grieve for Tuan Hua, who was known in the community as Jimmy and Tuan The Barber.
Hua, 38, lost his life after a motorcycle crash involving an SUV on Simcoe Street in the Southwestern Ontario town on Monday afternoon.
The Ontario Provincial Police reported that officers arrived at the scene shortly after 5 p. m. Monday between Westtown Line and Goshen Street. Authorities stated that the motorcyclist was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries and later passed away. The driver of the SUV was unharmed.
“He was a bright guy, always had a smile,” said Wilson Costa, a barber who worked alongside Hua for three years. “He would give the shirt off his back for you if he could.”
Hua spent his childhood in Tillsonburg after his parents emigrated from Vietnam with assistance from a St. Thomas church, according to Costa. He also received the English name Jimmy during his childhood.
He began cutting hair during the COVID-19 pandemic, developing a business that transitioned from a small shop on Broadway to a larger location at 1 Library Lane, Costa noted. Friends assisted in renovating this new space, where Hua created an inviting atmosphere for families, especially children excited for fresh cuts and eager to chat with their barbers.
“It wasn’t work to me; it was hanging out with my best friend, hanging out with these great people in Tillsonburg, seeing the kids, making them smile,” Costa reflected.
A man looks at the memorial to Tuan Hua in front of Hua’s barber shop in Tillsonburg on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. He was killed two days prior in a motorcycle crash. (Geoff Robins/The )
Hua was well-known in the community, according to Costa. He had sponsored a local hockey team and contributed to fundraising efforts for those in need while planning to visit Guatemala this summer for a church mission trip. A fundraising post mentioned he aimed to provide haircuts while volunteering at a Christian school.
“He would just make people happy; say the right things,” said Deirdre Hopkins, an esthetician at Emerald Oasis Spa next door to the barber shop. “People just enjoyed being in his presence.”
<p Hopkins had known Hua for about ten months. Her child had visited him for haircuts; she said they would chat whenever she came by.
Costa mentioned that Hua leaves behind his fiancée whom he was set to marry next month along with his son.
West Region OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk stated that their investigation is still ongoing without any new details available as of Wednesday.
If anyone was traveling on Simcoe Street around the time of the accident or nearby businesses have surveillance footage that may have captured either vehicle involved should contact Oxford OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
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