Florene and Billy Joe in Chicago with their first baby, Gayla

They met dragging Grand and started dating very quickly afterward. 

As a kid mom was very protective of her baby brother
My grandma told me the story of how a boy bullied moms brother 
Mom punched the bully
The bully’s mother complained to my grandmother demanding she punish my mom
Grandma said no way that her daughter did the right thing

I am so grateful that my mom chose to stay home with me and my brother and sister. She could have done anything she wanted to because she was so smart, organized, and very academically gifted. But her loyalty was to Dad and to her children and then to her grandchildren. In the early days of our family my dad worked three jobs to provide for us. Mom thought if she worked she could help. She found a really good baby sitter and my sister and I were very happy with the lady who took care of us. But one day while eating dinner, I (three years old, mind you) just said to my sister in front of my mom and dad that mom did not love us anymore because she put us with someone else. That was all it took. My mom quit her job and stayed home with us.
I always knew we were very fortunate to have a mom who cared enough to sacrifice for us, but I did not know just how much we were blessed until as a young adult I volunteered at a run away shelter. It was there that I saw first hand that there were actually kids who had parents who cared nothing at all for their children and did not care that the ran away.
My mom rocked me -- I still remember how it felt laying my head in her chest and feeling her arms around me. The feeling was comfort and the deep knowledge that my mom would never abandon me, that I could completely trust her to protect me.
And she did protect me, through school, through college, it seemed there was no emergency or problem she could not solve. She knew what to do and she did it.
I love you Mom.

My favorite memory of Florene is seeing her as an avid robotics fan supporting her grandchildren’s team “Rohawktics”! She LOVED watching the competitions and travelled all over with Bill to follow the team! When first diagnosed with her cancer five or so years back, she wasn’t going to give in easily and fought back! I loved her smile and her big heart! 

We met at Springfield Christian Church around 1965, raised our children together, went on vacations together, spending summers together.  Went on our FIRST CRUISE to Alaska together and always talked about going again but never got around to it.  Our years together were spent celebrating Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July and all the other holidays together either with outdoor picnics or indoor dinners together.  I remember going to the outer banks of North Carolina and renting a cabin with 5 kids and 4 adults and no TV.   Florene was a great friend no matter what was asked she always said I (we) can do that.  She will be missed

My favorite memories of my grandma were when we played pegs&jokers together or went out shopping. We didn’t always do a lot when she visited us or we visited her, but the quality of time we had with her was special. I cherished each precious moment I could with her since we lived far away and couldn’t always visit. She and Grandpa always tried to make the long treks driving to see us and watch our special moments such as graduations, dance recitals, and swim meets. You couldn’t tear her away from her grandkids. Grandma was my number 1 cheerleader in everything I did. Nothing could bring her down. I will greatly miss her and wish I had been able to spend more time with her. But I’m so grateful for the memories I do have of her. 

Grandma was simply the best of the best. I will miss baking cranberry bread with her every Christmas, watching Lady Vols basketball games, shopping trips with her & my mom on my birthday, and most of all our afternoon gossip sessions. She wasn’t just a grandma to me, she was one of my closest friends. I love her endlessly. 

I was holding Matt who was just 24 hours old when Florene came through the door.  She had a laser focus on that baby and within a few steps, he was in her arms.  She loved that baby!  May happier memories ease the sorrow.

I loved Aunt Florene dearly and thought of her often although I lost touch with her over the years. As a child, I looked forward to her summer visits to Oklahoma. She and Uncle Billy Joe, we’re two of the kindest, smartest, most caring people I knew and each visit brought joy.

As an adult, she visited me my first year in Albuquerque which meant so much to me. Florene, my mother, and I got to experience our first balloon fiesta together. I remember it was a cold, dark morning which turned into a joyous occasion as we watched hundreds of hot air balloons launch at once. We rounded out the day with late breakfast at IHOP and a visit to the casino. That day is one of my favorites, and I will always cherish it as well Florene’s presence.

My last memory of her is getting to FaceTime her for a few minutes on my mother’s IPad. She listened to my oldest read a story while my youngest bounced around and spent the remainder of the time telling me how good I looked  and how good it was to talk to me. I will thoroughly miss my Aunt Florene, but I am a blessed and better person for knowing her.

Aunt Florene was always a positive person. I enjoyed her love for life.   She was always fun to be around!

Florene Love is one of the best people God ever put on this earth. I have stories, of her as acting grandmother to the neighbor children (mine), and ￼like the time she invited our family of six to stay in their spare rooms while our floors were being redone. And how she had a smile and snacks for the kids every time they came by, and her kindness in a million situations. She was the one I called when I found a tick on baby Trevor.  We are blessed to have been in her world for 12 years.  So much love to you all and to Billy.  💙💙💙

OBITUARY

Florene Love

September 5, 1938 – July 6, 2022

Berry Highland West

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