Kenneth Beasley Love, age 95, a resident of Columbia, passed away Saturday, March 24, 2018, surrounded by family at Brookdale Columbia Assisted Living.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 1:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Mayor Charlie Norman officiating. Burial will follow in Love Cemetery with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The Tolling of the Bell Ceremony will be provided by Columbia Fire Department Honor Guard. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com.
Born October 11, 1922, in Lovetown, Hampshire, Tennessee, Kenneth was the son of the late Esborne S. Love and Oma Isabel Shelby Love. After many years with the Tennessee Knitting Mills (TKM) in Columbia, Kenneth joined the Columbia Fire Department in the 1960s where he worked as a firefighter until his retirement at age 70. A veteran of World War II, he was awarded three bronze stars for heroic and meritorious achievement and service in a combat zone during his years in the European theater.
Kenneth was a kind, loving man who never met a stranger, greeting everyone he saw with a big smile, a hearty handshake and a warm, “Hello! So nice to see you again!” He was an honorable, hard-working man who was always busy exploring and mastering new interests. A talented shortstop, Kenneth played baseball while in the military, and went on to be a star player with the TKM Nighthawks. He was an avid hobbyist with diverse interests, ranging from hunting and fishing, to repairing and rebuilding virtually anything mechanical, to collecting and restoring antique furniture and clocks. He was especially well known for raising and selling gorgeous flowers–many of which were his own unique crossbreeds–and for his nearly legendary cooking abilities, which he developed during his time with the Columbia Fire Department. From amazing fried chicken, to endless banana puddings, pies and cakes, everybody loved Kenneth’s cooking! Passionate about family history, he collected photos, books, and clippings, and regularly visited the various family cemeteries around Maury County. Kennethcould recite several generations of the Love and Shelby family trees
from memory: and loved to share stories and fond memories of life on Cathey’s Creek with his parents, grandparents, siblings, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Survivors include his daughter, Joyce Johnson; son, Kenneth B. Love Jr. (Stacey); sister, Mary Dodson; former wife, Georgia (Jarrett) Love; grandsons Shane Gladden, Kenneth B. Love III, and Jason Walker; granddaughters Felisha Love, Noelle Love, and Shayna Walker; 7 great grandchildren; 8 nieces and nephews; and long-time companion, Lucille Potts.
He was preceded in death by his infant twin sons; brother, Charles; sister, Rachel Butler; grandsons, Christopher Gladden and Benjamin Love; and son-in-law, Jim Johnson.
Pallbearers will be members of Columbia Fire Department Honor Guard.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all the staff at Brookdale Columbia for their love and dedicated care.
