Richard Henry Love
born December 12, 1914
in Albia, Iowa
died March 15, 1974
in Ottumwa, Iowa
Shirley Mae Hatchitt
born July 20, 1918
in Oskaloosa, Iowa
died February 27, 1995
in Venice, Florida
Richard & Shirley Love
were married
Sunday, October 23, 1938
in Davenport, Iowa
Richard, who generally went by the name "Dick," (everywhere but in his parents' home) was born and raised in Albia, Iowa.
Talking about his career many years later, Dick said, "those were the depression years and there wasn't much money around. My folks sure didn't have any, but I was able to borrow the money for school from my aunt, Myrtle Smith. But, I can tell you I was certainly expected to pay it back with interest." Dick was awarded his Pharmacy license on June 4, 1936 and was hired as a store manager by Henry Lischer who owned three Schlegels Drug Stores in the Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa areas.
By 1936, a young woman by the name of Shirley Hatchitt had been hired to work in the office of Dr. Bain whose dental office was upstairs and across the street from Dick's store.
Frances further wrote, "I remember the Sunday Dick came for dinner. He was warm and friendly and very polite to my Mom. I was between 12 and 13 years old and impres-
sionable. I had, unfortunately, been less than impressed by a number of questionable beaus a couple of other sisters had brought home, but, as I told Shirley many years later, Dick was my very first exposure to someone decent, honest, respectable, kind, humorous, and well-mannered of the opposite sex."
Dick and Shirley are shown in the photo to the right in early 1938. Shirley later said she and Dick were posed for the picture by a friend with a new camera.
Dick eventually transferred to the Schlegel's Drug Store in Bettendorf where he and Shirley lived in an apartment behind the store. The couple purchased a house in Bettendorf as their children began arriving.
Richard and Shirley Love and sons
In 1952 Dick and Shirley purchased one of the drugstores in which Dick had worked during his high school days and moved the family to his hometown, Albia, Iowa. The store was operated as Love Rexall Drug.
The family lived in a rented house on "A" Avenue West in Albia for 6 months, then bought a large, rambling, old home at 106 3rd Ave. West.
Dick's mother, Gertrude Smith Love, later said the house had been the home of the W.N. Moon family. The Moons had operated a general merchandise store that was more than likely in direct competition with the store owned by James Hamilton Love, the Irish immigrant who launched the Iowa Loves. Below: the Richard Love residence 1953-1961
A few years after the family settled into the home on 3rd Ave. West, Gertrude Smith Love and her sister, Nellie Frances Smith, moved into an apartment situated on the second floor.
After Gertrude's youngest sister, Myrtle Dorothy Smith Phipps, was widowed in April 1959, the three sisters bought a house a block away.
The Richard Love family moved to a new home in 1961. The old Moon house was eventually demolished.
The Love sons in about 1954
Dick sold the store to Robert Newton in about 1971 and began providing "vacation relief" to other pharmacists in the area.
Richard and Shirley Love, 1969
Right:
Richard
Henry
Love's
Pharmacy
License
Richard Henry Love and Shirley Mae Hatchitt were united in marriage on Sunday, October 23, 1938 at St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church in Davenport, Iowa surrounded by family and friends.
When Dick was old enough to take on an "after school" job, he worked part-time at Smith Drug Store and Brawdy Drug at different times. With that background it was no surprise that after graduating from Albia High School in 1933, Dick enrolled in Pharmacy School at Drake University in Des Moines.
Richard Love
in about 1918
Above; probably Richard's high
school graduation photo
Above: Dick outside his store at Third and Brady Streets in downtown Davenport soon after beginning his new career.
According to Shirley's sister, Frances Hatfield, Shirley frequently took her coffee breaks at Schlegel's counter. "I assume," wrote Frances, "that young pharmacist soon noticed that very attractive young lady in the stiffly starched white uniform who always looked like she'd just stepped out of a band box!"
Richard Henry Love died unexpectedly on March 15, 1974 of a severe myocardial infarction, after having been transported from his home in Albia, Iowa the evening before to a regional hospital in nearby Ottumwa, Iowa. Shirley died February 27, 1995 at her home in Venice, Florida of cancer.
The Richard Love family residence built in 1961
1100 D Avenue East Albia, Iowa
Richard and Shirley Love's four sons were all born at St. Luke's Hospital in Davenport, Iowa
Living Love son born in 1941
John Robert Love
was born October 10, 1943 and graduated from Albia High School in Albia, Iowa in 1962. John soon enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving from 1962 - 1966. He graduated from Centerville Community College in 1968.
John was an engineer for WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa for 28 years then worked for AVI Systems of Urbandale, Iowa for 10 years before retiring in 2006.
He was a very devoted Chevrolet Corvette fan and had proudly owned 8 Corvettes over the years. John was a member and Past President of the Cyclone Corvette Club. He also enjoyed golf and aviation.
John was married in 1969 and was the father of a son and a daughter. He died June 26, 2008 at his home in Ankeny, Iowa.
John, as President of the Cyclone Corvette Club, was interviewed
for a magazine article in 1992 about the Club.
John at about 3 years of age
To the right
Two photos of John
from 2005.
On the left at his
daughter's wedding in
Des Moines, Iowa.
Right, attending
a sand sculpture competition
on Long Boat Key, Florida
while enjoying a short vacation
Living Love son born in 1950
James Elwood Love
was born November 17, 1939 and was better known as "Jay" throughout his life. He graduated from Albia High School in Albia, Iowa in 1957 and joined the U.S. Navy soon thereafter.
Jay was assigned by the Navy to the United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Seabees. Their nickname is a heterograph of the first initials of Construction Battalions. To learn more about the Seabees, click on their logo icon to the left.
While stationed on Guam in the Western Pacific, Jay was involved in the planning and construction of highways. After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1960, he put his experience to use by becoming involved with construction of highways in both Broward County, Florida and Monroe County, Iowa. He attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers' College in Kirksville, Missouri in the early 1960's. In 1965 Jay's lifelong professional career in the sales and service of heavy construction equipment began. He was married in 1966 and was the father of a son and a daughter. James Elwood Love died on June 27, 2017 in Marshalltown, Iowa. Photos of Jay appear below.
