David Leo Love

David Leo Love, a connoisseur of a good joke, great music, and all things Mississippi State died exactly one week shy of his 85th birthday on Thursday,  July 6, 2023, in Clinton, Ms. Born July 13, 1938,  in Columbus, MS, to Leo and Margaret Love.

David grew up on Leavell Woods Drive in South Jackson and studied piano under Mrs. B.H. Kenna.  He played trombone with the Central High Band under the direction of Louis Pullo and graduated from Central High School in 1955. He attended Mississippi State as a music major and lived in Old Main Dormitory when it burned. David had many stories about MSU, the Famous Maroon Band, and setting trash cans on fire and rolling them down the hall.

David tried his hand at many careers: working for NASA, using his perfect pitch to tune grandfather clocks, becoming a high school band director, and working for the social security administration before becoming an attorney.  This ended up being a very good fit for David as he enjoyed the fine art of a well-crafted argument.

After meeting the love of his life while they were both employed as social workers, he married Marie Bloodworth in 1966. The two journeyed to California as David completed courses while working for the Hinds County Youth Court. During this trip, David ended up meeting Ella Fitzgerald’s husband and was able to sit-in on recording sessions for one of her studio albums. He said it was an amazing experience. David attended law school at night while working during the day as a counselor for the Hinds County Youth Court and graduated in 1977. He was an attorney for the City of Jackson and Hinds County Youth Court.

David spent his retirement traveling around the USA with Marie and acting as a tour guide for the Vicksburg Military Park. He was passionate about history and the South. David loved spending time with his Caldwell cousins and was a proud grandfather.  His grandchildren affectionately called him “Sir Grumpy.”

David is proceeded in death by his parents, Margaret and Leo Love, and his sister Carolyn Love Taylor.

He is survived by his wife, Marie Bloodworth Love; son, David Lee (Barbara) of Aberdeen; daughter, Ann Marie Farley (Josh) of Madison; and 3 grandchildren, Taylor, Andrew and Kate Farley, and his nieces, Lisa Taylor Lowell and Laurie Taylor.

We will miss his quick wit, great laugh, some of his obstinate ways, and his tender heart.  We hope he was greeted at heaven’s gates with amazing music and are rejoicing that he is reunited with his family. 

A visitation and memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church in Raymond, with the visitation beginning at 10:00 am until the hour of service at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Palmer Home for Children in Columbus, MS or The Famous Maroon Band – Trombone Section at Mississippi State University.