Sol Love's Obituary
Sol Love, age 100, surrounded by family, went to be with our Lord, joining his beloved wife, Betty Anne, on Saturday, February 20, 2021. He was a devoted family man, husband, grandpa, great grandpa, brother, son, friend and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Sol was born in Detroit, Michigan to Harry and Sarah Love, both of whom were Russian Jewish immigrants. He was the second born of three boys. Sarah (Eshowsky) died when he was 8 years old, and Harry married Ina Crater. Harry and Ina brought Shirley Love into the world and so, the three boys had a beloved sister.
Sol graduated from Northwestern High School at the top of his class in 1937. He was a champion swimmer and diver in high school and college. He finished 7th in the nation in 1939, diving for Wayne State University. Sol graduated from Wayne State with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering in 1941, and was later awarded as Distinguished Alumni.
Sol supported the Defense of the United States of America from 1941 to 2010. He began at WACO Aircraft in 1941, leading the design of gliders that carried troops behind enemy lines on D-Day in World War II. He moved to Chance Vought in October of 1943 and retired as President/CEO in 1977. During this time, among many defense products, he made significant contributions to the F-4U Corsair, F-7 Cutlass, F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II. He was lead structures engineer, then Project Engineer on the F-8, and proposal leader-chief engineer and then program manager on the A-7.
Between 1980 – 1983, Sol consulted for the Department of Defense (DOD) and received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest award given to a civilian by the DOD. Shortly after that, he and Betty Anne, formed the BASLE Corporation. Sol then, consulted for Raytheon, Beech, Northrup Grumman and Vought, served on various boards and committees including the Defense Science Board. He retired in 2010.
Sol and Betty Anne Esch met at Chance Vought Corporation in 1943. Sol has often said that he lucked into marrying her. Betty Anne was a pioneer as a woman in the field of Aerospace Engineering. She had the opportunity to work on the first jet aircraft that Chance Vought designed, built and flew, the F-6U Pirate. Betty Anne predicted the propulsion performance for that aircraft during the design phase of the program. It flew as she predicted.
Sol and Betty Anne married October 26, 1945. They had 4 children – Pamela, Deborah, Melissa, and Mike, 8 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren. Sol and Betty were married more than 63 years. He was a devoted family man. He loved Mom and his children very much. He also worked very long hours, carried a tremendous amount of responsibility, was active in the church, and still, unless he was out of town, was home every night for dinner.
Sol was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He shares the story that one day he realized that the resurrection of Jesus happened, and that was that. At the age of 33, he was baptized, along with his three daughters, and he and Betty Anne joined Walnut Hill Methodist Church. Our parents raised all 4 children in the faith to know God personally. He participated in the life of the church in many ways, including chair of the Finance Committee, Lay Leader, and chair of the Administrative Board.
When Betty Anne died in 2008, Sol began intense study in the Bible and in the lineage of his faith. He attended a Walk to Emmaus in 1990. He taught the United Methodist Men from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship on Saturday mornings. Sol was as intense in this learning as he had been as an engineer, corporate executive, and consultant. He could offer thoughts and teachings in God and Christ as well as he had in his days of Aeronautics concerning aircraft, spacecraft, and policies thereof.
Sol was a 32nd degree Mason of the Scottish Rite in Dallas. He was a baseball coach, a teacher, a friend and confidant. He loved to hunt, play golf and was an avid reader. He was a protector, encourager and a soulful man of great integrity. He gave every ounce of his life to serve God, his family, his friends, strangers, and his country. He lived a full life. He had a great sense of humor. He will be missed.
Sol is preceded in death by his wife, Betty Anne Love, his brother Bill Love, son-law Chuck Blackburn, and his parents Harry Love, Sarah Love, and stepmother - Ina Love.
He is survived by his children, Pamela Taylor, Deborah Bowen (Richard), Melissa Blackburn, Mike Love (Susan), 8 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, brother Arthur Love, sister Shirley Love, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, and dear family friend, Peggie Woodruff.
Memorial Service 2:00pm Friday, March 12th at Walnut Hill Church. In person worship is limited to family. Online streaming of the service will be provided for all who wish to attend online. To join in online streaming please go to https://llumc.org/sollove. Streaming will begin about 1:50 pm with the service to begin at 2 pm
In lieu of flowers – the Love family asks you to please contribute to a Memorial in Sol Love’s name to Walnut Hill Church at 10066 Marsh Ln, Dallas, TX 75229. Thank you.
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