Gay M. Love, chairman emeritus of Atlanta-based Printpack, died “quietly and peacefully at her home” on May 28 at the age of 90, the company said in a news release.
Love was the widow of Printpack’s founder, J. Erskine Love Jr. They married in 1954, two years before Printpack was founded in 1956.
“Our mom’s passing marks a milestone in the history of our company, as she was a founding partner with our dad when Printpack started in 1956. Much of the initial investment in the company came from a small dowry from her father, so to say that Printpack is deeply indebted to Gay Love for our success over the last sixty-plus years is an understatement,” says Jimmy Love, chairman and CEO.
Gay Love was highly engaged with her husband in developing relationships with some of Printpack’s earliest customers, the company says.
“Printpack absorbed a major shock when Erskine Love passed away suddenly of a heart attack in February of 1987, but no one was more committed to our mission and confident in our success and future as a family-owned business than she was,” Jimmy Love says.
After her husband’s death, Gay Love assumed the role of chairman of the board, and Dennis Love, her eldest son, became CEO. She served for over 18 years before retiring to become chairman emeritus in 2005.