Virginia Margaret Locke

A devoted and beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, teacher and friend to all who knew her, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2008, in San Rafael, CA. She was 88 years of age. She was born on October 30, 1919, in Cambridge, MA, the third of four children of Stephen and Agnes Keefe. Virginia grew up in a loving family with parents strong in their faith in God, supportive of their children and devoted to each other. She was Valedictorian of her Arlington High School Class and Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper. She later graduated from the Eliot-Pearson School of Early Childhood Education at Tufts University. Virginia and her husband of 42 years, the late Kermit A. Locke, raised three children in Harvard, MA, where she served for more than 20 years as Director and Head Teacher at the Harvard Nursery School and Kindergarten. She also served two terms as a member of the Harvard School Committee, and was active in many programs for children, including the Girl Scouts, the Cub Scouts, the MA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the MA Office for Children. During retirement, following her husband’s death, Virginia became a member of the Saint Francis of Peace Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order of the Catholic Church. She remained active until recent years in programs for children and the needy. Throughout her life, she continued her love, devotion and support for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends. She is survived by two daughters, Martha J. Totaro of Rocklin, CA, and Carole A. Dollar of Eufaula, OK; a son, Christopher Locke of San Anselmo, CA, a brother, Stephen T. Keefe, Jr. of Prescott, AZ; six grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. She will be missed by all, but will live in our hearts forever. Memorial Services will be held at Bellevue Cemetery, Still River Road, Harvard, MA at 10:30 AM on October 22, 2008; and at Our Lady of Victory Church, 230 South Main St., Centerville, MA at 10 AM on October 24, 2008. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made in her memory to: The Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Attn: Sarah Jung, Tufts University, 105 College Avenue, Medford, MA 02155; www.alumniconnections.com/donate/tufts (Please reference "Eliote-Pearson- in Memory of Virginia Locke") or Nazareth House, 245 Nova Albion Way, San Rafael, California 94903; Tel. 415-479-8282 (Please reference "In Memory of Virginia Locke")