Otis Love

Otis Love, 60, passed from this life on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at Baptist Health Medical Center in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was born March 31, 1966, in Mt. Holly, Arkansas.

Otis was raised by his mother, Virginia Lee Gulley, who taught him early in life the importance of hard work and making an honest living. Those lessons stayed with him throughout his life.

Around Smackover, Otis became known as a dependable handyman—a man who could put his hands to just about anything. There was never a job too big or too small for Otis to tackle. If something needed fixing, repairing, moving, or simply figuring out, Otis was willing to give it a try. His work was more than a way to earn a living; it was one of the ways he helped the people around him.

Otis also knew how to enjoy life. He loved all kinds of music, enjoyed a good time, and loved to party. He was comfortable being himself and lived life in his own way. From time to time, he attended Good Home Baptist Church.

Otis shared his life in marriage with Bernadette Alexander Love. Her passing on April 20, 2023, left him to continue life’s journey without his companion and bestfriend.

Behind Otis’s hardworking exterior was a man with a pure heart. He understood friendship and was the kind of person who could be counted on when someone needed a helping hand. To those who truly knew him, Otis was simply a genuine man and a true friend.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Lee Gulley; his wife, Bernadette Love; and his brother, Ervin Love.

Otis leaves to cherish his memory his daughter, Allyce Love of El Dorado, Arkansas; his grandson Jalin Hicks; two brothers, Charles Gulley of El Dorado, Arkansas, and Artist Gulley of Texas; and a very special cousin and caregiver, Carolyn Caldwell of Smackover, Arkansas, whose care and presence were especially meaningful to him.

He also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, friends, and members of the Smackover community who will remember the hardworking man with a good heart who was never afraid to lend a hand.