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Judy Love, philanthropist, co-founder of Love’s Travel Center, dead at 87

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Judy Love, philanthropist, co-founder of Love’s Travel Center, dead at 87

Judy Love, co-founder of Love’s Travel Stops, died Tuesday, leaving behind a family-owned business with locations across the country and a long history of philanthropy. She was 87. 

Love and her late husband, Tom Love, started their family-owned business in 1964 with a $5,000 loan. Judy Love kept the books during the company’s early years and her financial acumen and dedication to the company’s growth was credited with building the company from a single gas station into a chain of more than 650 locations in 42 states. 

Judy served on an array of nonprofit boards in Oklahoma City and also co-chaired the capital campaign for Positive Tomorrows, Oklahoma’s only school for children experiencing homelessness. 

In a statement released Tuesday by Love’s Travel Stops, the company assured that legacy of philanthropy established by Tom and Judy Love will endure through her children, Greg, Laura, Jenny and Frank, as well as her nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. 

“Our mother, Judy Love, was the heart and soul of our family,” said the Love Family. “She cared deeply for us and those who worked alongside her and Dad. Her tenacity, strength, and focus will guide us forever. She taught us the importance of hard work, honesty, and the joy of giving back. While we will miss her dearly, her spirit will live on through the countless lives she touched.” 

Mayor David Holt called Love “an icon in this city.” 

“She and her husband Tom built one of the best-known national brands to ever emerge from this community,” Holt said. “And perhaps more importantly, Judy worked for decades to ensure that her family’s success brought benefits to all residents of this city. It would be impossible to list the countless charitable and quality-of-life initiatives that benefited from Judy’s generosity.” 

Born in 1937 in Chicago, Love was the daughter of Ed and Ruth McCarthy. Her family relocated to Oklahoma City in 1942, where her father worked as a district manager in outdoor advertising. She graduated from Bishop McGuiness High School and Central Catholic High School.  While attending Oklahoma State University in 1956, she met Tom Love and they married on Dec. 26, 1960. Together, they leased an abandoned service station in Watonga in 1964, which grew to 40 stores in eight years. From these beginnings, the Love’s Family of Companies was started.

Love managed the company’s accounts and worked from their home. After stepping back from part-time work at Love’s in 1975, she pursued her deep interest for interior design. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981, followed by a master’s and later established her design firm.  Her passion for philanthropy led to the establishment of the Love Family Affiliated Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1999 and the Tom and Judy Love Foundation in 2013. She was given the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Oklahoma City chapter of the National Fundraising Professionals in 1999. 

Close friend and former broadcaster, author and public official Jane Jayroe-Gamble said she remembers Love’s deep loyalty to her family and friends.  “Judy Love was an extraordinary woman with a huge heart for others and an inexhaustible joy of life,” Jayroe-Gamble said. “Her passion for family, friends, community, and the Catholic Church inspired many. Judy and Tom were a partnership made in Heaven, and their successful business reflects their hard work, dedication, and generosity. As we mourn her loss, let’s celebrate her remarkable life, positive spirit, gifts of encouragement, and significant impact on our world.” 

 Former Oklahoma First Lady Cathy Keating co-chaired the fundraising campaign with Love to build the recently opened Love Family Women’s Center at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. The campaign included a lead gift of $10 million from the family. Keating recalled how her Catholic faith and community impact intersected.  “Judy was devoted to her Catholic faith and the charitable organizations affiliated with it,” Keating said. “She lived her life with courage, determination, and humility. She and her husband, Tom, were a united front in raising their remarkable family and growing their successful business. Judy’s compassion for others knew no limits, and the impact of her kindness and generosity is immeasurable. I will miss her terribly.” 

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