Donna Maria Locke

Donna Maria Locke

On November 10, 2025 Donna Maria Locke, left us to go with the Lord. In her final hours, she was surrounded by her loved ones in prayer and peace. Though she is no longer here with us, we hold tight to her example of generous love, compassion, support, encouragement, laughter, and warm embraces. She loved fiercely, loved deeply, and was so beautifully unique; being close to her felt like a home where you belonged.

Born on September 24,1953, Donna Maria became the 4th child born from the extraordinary union of Melvin and Aquilina Smith. She grew up outside the tiny town of Bucklin, Kansas on a farm that raised cattle and crops.She rolled marbles from the clay. She read in the fields and hid in the grain storage. She was a baton twirler, an athlete, a musician in the band and loved the theatre.

Her love of learning and theater led her to St. Mary's of the Plains College in Dodge City, where she earned her Bachelor's degree and met her match in Edwin Locke, Sr. She was married after graduation and moved with Edwin to Kansas City. They built their life together around keeping family close. Birthdays, holidays, weekends and the summers were spent with her sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews and Donna's laugh and love were right in the middle of it all.

Donna's most cherished role was that of a mother and grandmother. She said on several occasions that she wanted four children. Aquilina "Killy Mae" came first, next came Porsha Marie and finally her baby boy Eddie. Her heart was filled when Ronald Sr. married Aquilina and joined our family.

Her first grandchild Ronald Jr was her a gift that came right before her birthday. A few weeks later she watched as Cassidy came into the world. She was overjoyed a few years later when her beautiful Amelyia Dean Maria was born and then years later she was blessed again by witnessing Kellan taking his first breaths.

Professionally, Donna's teaching career spanned five decades in the Kansas City public schools, with time as an elementary teacher, librarian and middle school speech, drama and english teacher. At C.A.Franklin, King Middle School and Benjamin Banneker Charter School, she cultivated opportunities for students to learn, think and express themselves while cultivating lifelong friendships-bonds that formed a sisterhood of "best friends".

Guided by a spirit of wonder, Donna traveled by car, bus, plane, train, and even RV, receiving each journey as a gift from God. Her devotion to the arts drew her to live music, cultural performances, dinner theater, and musical theater from Starlight to Broadway, where she felt most alive. Her creativity flowed into every offering she made-cakes sculpted by loving hands, costumes crafted with imagination, and plays shaped with purpose. She filled her days with the music, dance, performance, and the academic, athletic, and spiritual achievements of her children and grandchildren, which brought her unending joy.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, Donna is survived by her Sister Connie, Brother Bob and Sister Joann, Sister Marci and Brother Bill, Sister Kimberly, Brother Thethel, Brother Bernard, Sister Francis and Edwin Sr.,as well as, her nieces,nephews, great nieces, great nephews, great-great-nephews, a host of loving friends and an uncountable number of "school kids" throughout Kansas City and beyond. Donna was preceded in death by her parents Melvin and Aquilina and Thethal and Daisy, brothers Marty, Dan, Jim and sisters Elizabeth and Alice.

The Locke family wishes to acknowledge, with deepest gratitude, the community and staff at both the Village at Mission and Delmar Gardens. Their kindness was a blessing and a testament to God's healing grace as Donna prepared for the peace of her eternal rest.

A Funeral Mass honoring Donna's life will be held at St. Francis Xavier Parish on December 06, 2025. The wake will begin at 10 a.m. The rosary will be prayed at this time. The funeral mass will begin at 11 a.m.

Following the Funeral Mass a celebration of her life will be held at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza from 1-5. We invite those who knew and loved her to join us for fellowship and share stories as we honor her for a life well lived.