Thomas E. Love was born in Oklahoma City in October 1937, one of six siblings, the son of F. C. Love, a Lawyer who was later President of the oil company Kerr-McGee, and Margaret Eugenia Vessels Love.
Tom and Judy Love married on December 26, 1961. They have four children and live in Oklahoma City, US. Three of their children work for the company. Frank Love and Greg Love are co-CEOs, and Jenny Love Meyer is the vice President of communications.
In January 1964, Love and his wife Judy leased a self-service gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma. Love went on to open another 30 gas stations. Then in 1971, he decided to merge self-service gas stations with convenience stores, and the Business continued to grow.