Mother, community contributor, political enthusiast, truth-teller, affirmer extraordinaire. Born Dec. 11, 1921, in Toronto. Died July 12 in Winchester, Ont., of a blood disorder, aged 88.
Bettie Locke was a tonic, her voice always young, her opinions candid and her yea-saying unforgettable. She was the youngest child of Fannie and Wilfred Lennox, with two older brothers – Bill and John. Their Toronto home was her ideal of hospitality and safety, and there could never be schools to equal Brown Public and North Toronto Collegiate.
War came just before her 18th birthday and her brothers eventually joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Her world was turned upside down when John was killed. Few among us can imagine the shattering effect of such an event, but as Bettie said, “There were so many. It was not so unusual.” Like most of that remarkable generation, Bettie grieved but moved ahead in hope.
She married Parker Locke in 1947, and they moved to the hamlet of Williamsburg in Eastern Ontario, where they raised six children, Mahlon, Duane, Elizabeth, Wendy, Lauren and Robert. She became a prominent member of the community through her volunteerism and her long commitment to the Progressive Conservative Party. Politics was her passion and there was nothing she enjoyed more than talking about Canadian politics.
Bettie faced the death of Parker of a heart attack when she was in her 50s and her own unexpected blindness in her 70s. The first she met with determination, rearing her youngest son with the help of her children and finding employment at a local travel agency. The second she met with unnerving courage, telling people – and herself – that she was going to focus on what she could do and not on what she couldn’t.
Bettie trimmed her sails, but never lost the wind that filled them. Her later years were lived in a spirit of curiosity, good humour and thankfulness. She treasured her past but she lived in the present and always looked to the future. She “watched” movies and television, enjoyed talking books and became an avid listener and some-time contributor to CFRA radio in Ottawa (“Bettie from Williamsburg”). At all times she had no hesitation in voicing strong opinions about what interested or pleased or irritated her.
Bettie’s capacity for friendship encompassed her children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; her admiring brother Bill and his wife Marion; her high-school sorority sisters; her extended family; and the Williamsburg and Morrisburg communities.
In her last months in hospital Bettie’s mind remained clear and she had many good conversations and laughs with her family. Her humour remained sharp. When the local undertaker and friend of the family came to visit her, Bettie greeted him with, “You’re early.” How to give thanks for such a sparkling presence? Nothing but “Thank you, dear Bettie, thank you.”
By John Lennox, Bettie’s nephew.
