Nathaniel Howard Love III, founder, owner and operator of Nat's Outdoor Sports in Bowling Green, KY died March 19, 2011, at The Medical Center, according to an obituary publisehd by bgdailynews.com, the website for the Bowling Green Daily News.


A Chicago native, Love was born June 25, 1943. He graduated from Western Kentucky University and  Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox before buying the L&M Bookstore near Western Kentucky University in 1971.  It was there that he felt the need for selling outdoor sports merchandise. In two years, he opened a bike shop next to his bookstore. While a friend managed the bookstore he ran the bike shop.


His customer base grew, and in 1975 he moved to a larger location, which was actually two houses that were joined to make a showroom. It was there that he had the space to stock bicycles and try new merchandise like backpacks, clothing, and other camping gear. After many successful years in that location, Nat made a “tremendous jump” and moved the store to a two-year-old shopping center and he became the anchor store for the center (Thoroughbred Square – off Scottsville road). That was a good location and a very successful store. In 1993 the store moved to his present location on Wilkinson Trace.

Love was an avid hunter and active in the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation that brought back elk to Kentucky, and served as state chairman.


Memorial services were held Tuesday, March 22 at Christ Episcopal Church.


Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Doris Fancher Love, whom he married on Nov. 25, 1965; two daughters, Lisa Martens and her husband, Doug, of Bowling Green and Carla Anna Love of Vine Grove; a son, Nathaniel Howard Love IV and his wife, Cindy, of Bowling Green; five grandchildren, Kyle Douglas Martens, Leah Alexandra Martens, Nathaniel Howard Love V, Nolan Reed Love and Ella Marie Love, the new granddaughter who just arrived from Korea; two sisters, Nancy Schulten Huston and her husband, Tim, and Helen Love Wallin, all of Bowling Green; and several nieces and nephews.