Tom Love, an Oklahoma native, has passed away.
The founder of an Oklahoma-based convenience store network has passed away at the age of 85.
On Tuesday, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores confirmed that Tom Love, the founder of the company, passed away.
Love is survived by his wife of 62 years, Judy, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
In 1964, Tom and Judy Love used $5,000 to lease an abandoned service station in Watonga. From there, they opened 40 stores in eight years in western Oklahoma.
Tom Love wanted to establish a new concept of combining convenience stores with a self-service gas station. In 1972, The original country store opened in Guymon and became the first in the nation to combine self-service gasoline and grocery items.
Tom Love Net-Worth;
Tom Love and his Wife Judy’s Net worth is estimated to be $5 billion.
How much is Tom and Judy Love worth?
Tom & Judy Love are American husband-and-wife entrepreneurs who have a net worth of $5 billion. The couple owns Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, known as ‘Love’s’, a chain of more than 300 truck stops and convenience stores.
In October of 2022, Love’s opened its 600th location.
He and his late wife and business partner, Judy, established the Love family business, which today includes more than 600 Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores.
Tom was a well-respected leader in both the community and the business world, and he was beloved by all for his genuine modesty, good humor, generosity, and willingness to lend a hand to those in need.
Love’s president Shane Wharton eulogized Tom Love as a “man of conviction” who remained true to the company’s founding principles of honesty and integrity throughout the 59 years it was built with his wife, Judy. To this day, and into the foreseeable future, these principles continue to serve as the foundation upon which our business is built. Tom was a great listener and genuinely interested in his staff and customers’ lives. He was interested in what they had to say about themselves, their families, and the company. He said that our employees were the reason for the company’s success. He was able to connect with everyone on staff, but particularly liked interacting with customers at the register. He was a regular guy who, with the help of his extraordinary wife Judy and the adoring members of his family, created a phenomenal company.
Tom’s family includes his wife of 62 years, Judy, his children Frank, Greg, Jenny, and Laura, nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and two more on the way, and two more great-great-grandchildren.
Family members expressed their grief over the loss of their “beloved husband, father, and grandfather” in a statement. “He loved people, and it showed in the way he raised our family, ran the company he founded in 1964, and donated to local and national charities. He was always committed to helping others succeed and opening the door for leaders, including his children and grandchildren, and we look forward to building upon his legacy. While the grief we feel is unmeasurable, we celebrate his life and will continue his legacy of living a life filled with integrity, honesty and faith.”
Born in 1937 in Oklahoma City, Tom attended St. Gregory’s Preparatory School in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and St. John’s University in Minnesota before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1954. He married the love of his life, Judy, in 1960.
To the north of Oklahoma City in a small rural town called Watonga, Tom and Judy Love spent $5,000 in 1964 to rent an empty gas station. After starting out small in western Oklahoma, the then-named Musket Corporation opened 40 stores within a span of eight years.
Tom’s keen and discerning sense for business and vision to grow the company resulted in Love’s establishing a new concept – the country store – that combined existing business models for grocery and convenience stores with a self-service gas station. In 1972, Tom’s country store in Guymon, Oklahoma, became the first store in the nation to combine self-service gasoline and grocery items.
The original country store featured self-service gasoline, grocery and dairy items and offered extended hours, seven days a week. This new store model would help Love’s eventually emerge as one of the most successful private businesses in America.
Under Tom’s leadership, Love’s opened its first travel stop on Interstate 40 in Amarillo, Texas, in 1981, catering to professional truck drivers and the motoring public who sought convenience and efficiency when traveling across the country. Throughout the decades, Love’s has expanded its services to include hot and fresh food items, truck care maintenance and warm showers.
Tom and his relatives have guided the company to great success; in October 2022, the 600th location will open. The Love’s Family of Companies has grown to include businesses focused on truck maintenance, logistics, commodity supply and alternative energies.
For all of Tom’s 59 years at the helm, he never wavered from his commitment to serving his employees and the customers first. His company’s overarching motto, “Clean Places, Friendly Faces,” encapsulates his dedication to his clientele and the values he has instilled throughout the organization.
Tom’s personal life and friendships reflected his dedication to helping others. Tom was frequently underestimated, which worked to his advantage in business, according to former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating.
“Tom was a dear friend who I often turned to for advice. Aside from being a leader and a compassionate individual, he was also a visionary and innovator. Tom exemplified the definition of an entrepreneur long before the term was popularized. He was a Marine who sincerely cared about his country. He was very proud to have his company’s headquarters in his hometown of Oklahoma City. Tom was devoted to his home state and jumped at the chance to serve as the commission’s chairman when I asked him to. To his family—wife Judy, their four wonderful children, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren—he was completely devoted. He was deeply devoted to his faith and made substantial contributions to the fields of medicine, education, and other important causes without drawing much attention to himself. Cathy and I are heartbroken at his loss, but we are encouraged to know Tom’s legacy will live on through his family, company and countless kind deeds.”
Jane Jayroe-Gamble, a well-known broadcaster, author, public official and family friend, said she was deeply saddened when she learned Tom Love passed. She praised his leadership, saying that the company and the area had flourished thanks to him and Judy.
“Tom Love is my Oklahoma hero. Together with his loving wife and business partner, Judy, Tom has lived a life of humility, generosity and enormous impact. His deep love for his church, community and country has been abundant and long-lasting. As our grieving hearts accept Tom’s passing, the brokenness is quickly filled with gratitude for his life. Tom was a remarkable man who had a strong faith and was totally devoted to helping others. He had a deep devotion to the Creator. And he had a soft spot in his heart for humanity. None more than his family. May God’s loving kindness be with Judy, their children, and grandchildren at this time. Yes, even us. When it fell, it left a huge gaping hole in the forest that was visible against the sky. Tom Love planted so many seeds of faith and integrity in other people that their own greatness will flourish for generations to come.
Oklahoma’s former attorney general and close friend, Mike Turpin, reflected on Tom’s life and legacy.
We are saddened by the loss of Tom Love, a dear friend and fellow Oklahoman. The Oklahoma values of modesty, honesty, compassion, and service were all exemplified by Tom. He exhibited these exceptional core values in every aspect of his remarkable life – faith, family, friends, business and community. Tom was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, and neighbor. We salute Tom for a well-lived life and for his invaluable contributions to the betterment of our city, state and nation. My family and I offer our deepest condolences to Judy and the rest of the family and pray that the coming days and weeks bring them peace and comfort. Those who had the pleasure of knowing and working with Tom are better because of it.”
In addition, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation Bill Anoatubby reflected on Tom’s character traits that led to his induction into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
We mourn the loss of Tom Love, a respected member of the Chickasaw Nation. In 2019, I had the honor of bestowing the nation’s highest honor on Tom by introducing him to our Hall of Fame. Tom’s induction was a celebration of the countless ways he has helped the Chickasaw Nation grow and thrive. Tom exemplified the qualities we hold dearest: integrity, dependability, loyalty, and selflessness. His time and money were freely given. Our friendship with him was rewarding and rewarding. Obviously, his absence will be felt. Our thoughts and prayers are with Judy and her loved ones at this difficult time. Please know that you will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Because of Tom’s passion for the NBA team from his home city of Oklahoma City, the company has entered into a partnership with the Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder jerseys prominently feature Kevin Love’s recognizable logo on the front left shoulder. With NASCAR Cup Series team Front Row Motorsports, the logo was prominently displayed as Michael McDowell won the 2021 Daytona 500 while piloting the Love’s-sponsored car.
Tom’s dedication to community service was another manifestation of his enthusiasm for public service. To name just a few recipients, the Love family has supported Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, the United Way, Catholic Charities, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Oklahoma with substantial donations. Tom Love Innovation Hub, OU’s dedicated space for aspiring businesspeople and other workforce development initiatives, opened its doors in 2018. Construction on Love’s Field, the future home of the Sooners’ softball team, which has won six straight national championships, has recently begun at the university. Love’s Planetarium, a brand new, state-of-the-art planetarium at the Science Museum of Oklahoma, and the Love Family Women’s Center on the Mercy Hospital campus in Oklahoma City are both ways his legacy will live on.
Among the many awards Tom has won is “Corporation of the Year” in 1991 and the “President’s Award for Service to God and Country” in 1996. In 2010, he was named Oklahoma’s Most Admired Chief Executive Officer, and in 2014, he received the Trust Guardian Transportation Award. Tom, a native of the Chickasaw nation, was honored with induction into his nation’s hall of fame in 2019 and also into Oklahoma’s hall of fame in 2000.
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