Walter S. Love III (84 years) peacefully passed away on June 4, 2020. Graveside services will be held Saturday, June 6, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., at the Lake Park Cemetery in Laurel, MS. Pastor Brett Harris, University Baptist Church of Hattiesburg and Pastor Mike Allen, Westminster Presbyterian Church of Laurel, officiating.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter S. Love, Jr.; his brother and sister in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart M. Love.
Walter is survived by his three daughters, Amy Love McGill (Ken) of Madison, MS; Virginia Love of Atlanta, GA; and Portia Thomson Alexander (Scott) of Laurel, MS; and four grandchildren, Grace Love McGill, Lee Alexander, Anna Alexander, and Lucas Alexander.
His was a life well lived. Born in Columbia, MS, Walter was a graduate of George S. Gardiner High School of Laurel and attended University of Mississippi and University of Southern Mississippi. He served in the United States Army. Love’s twenty-five year banking career included serving as an Assistant Vice President when the Commercial National Bank and Trust Company location in downtown Laurel was erected in 1969. Love was a former Deacon of First Presbyterian Church of Laurel, MS and charter member of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Laurel, MS. A former President of the United Way of the Pine Belt Region, he served as a volunteer for the organization over 40 years. A member of the Laurel Kiwanis Club for too many years to count, he was dedicated to Wednesday lunch meetings and his all-time favorite, in his words, “most exhausting day of the year”, Pancake Day.
His golf game was legendary. While playing three seasons for Coach B. O. Van Hook, Love established himself as one of the most talented to have ever played at Southern Miss. Following his career at school, he was known as one of the best amateur golfers in MS, winning both the State Amateur Championship and the State Open Golf Championship, making Love one of the few amateurs to capture the title at that event. A former President of the MS Golf Association, his other titles included two-time MPGA winner, six-time Laurel 4 Ball winner, and winner of the Jackson Colonial Invitational. Love was inducted in the USM M-Club Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. In 2014 he and his daughters established the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation “Walter S. Love III Golf Scholarship Endowment”, providing golf scholarships to deserving students of his beloved alma mater.
Walter had many “Loves” beyond golf and his family. Pecan Pie, the morning paper, Blue Bell ice cream, one particular news channel, anything chocolate, USM sports, a vodka martini or 3, dogs, twice daily scheduled calls with his daughters Amy and Virginia, the 5:30am Wellness Center Club, the Laurel Country Club, Wednesday morning bible study, fried chicken at Kiwanis Club, George S. Gardiner reunions, and long visits with good friends. He adored his “personal assistant” turned close friend/adopted daughter, Samantha Thornton. To him, Bill and Caroline Ford and Graham and Michelle Rogers were more than neighbors that he depended on and drove crazy; they were family.
The family would like to deeply thank Graham and Michelle Rogers, Bill and Caroline Ford, Samantha Thornton, Christy Squires, Dr. Reed Cotton and Jackson Heart Clinic, Dr. Joel Shores, George Openshaw, Chris Wilson, Brett and Elizabeth Harris, Dr. and Mrs. William Profilet, Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Ben Profilet III, and countless close friends of Walter that they leaned on during his final days.
Pallbearers include: Scott Alexander, Lee Alexander, John Christian, John Frank Clark, Bill Ford, Lonnie Godard, Larry Harris, Dick Hennier, Tommy Holder, Victor Jones, Sr., Stover Smith, Bobby Stevens, Wayne Traylor, Darrell Williams, and Chris Wilson.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the United Way of Pine Belt Region or Westminster Presbyterian Church of Laurel, MS.
The family kindly requests that those attending the graveside service practice social distancing and wear a mask.
