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Graveside services for Velma Lou Locke, 104, of Marietta were held at 2 p.m. Thursday, August 26 in the Old Saltillo Cemetery in Saltillo, Texas with Mickey Locke officiating and Buddy Locke assisting.
Born July 9, 1917 in Saltillo, the youngest child of Lee and Rhoda Crump Adams, she died Monday, August 23, 2021 at home surrounded by family.
Velma had two brothers and two sisters. She grew up on a farm and attended grade school in Shataqua, Texas and high school in Saltillo. After leaving school, she stayed on the farm helping her parents. Velma was taking part in a play at the Willow Springs Baptist Church in Hopkins County when a WPA highway worker named Thomas Franklin "Frank" Locke, who was from Minden, Texas in the Piney Woods decided to attend. Velma caught his eye, and they began dating after that night. On August 24, 1940, Frank and Velma attended a tent revival outside of Saltillo. Frank had already obtained a marriage license, so they decided to get married. They asked the preacher holding the revival, who was the pastor of their church, Willow Springs Baptist Church, if he would marry them, and so they were wed in the pasture. After the wedding, the couple stayed in Hopkins County. They farmed, raised corn, milked cows, and sold milk. Two children were born there.
In 1950, the family moved to Dallas, where Frank went to work for Temco. Two more children were born in Dallas. Velma worked at Leathercraft and TexStar Plastics. In 1956 they moved to Grand Prairie, Texas and became members of the Indian Hills Baptist Church. In 1958, Frank died of a heart attack, leaving Velma with four children, two of them still quite young. She continued to work to support her children. She never remarried.
After retiring, Velma lived in Commerce and Como, Texas, and for 15 years made her home in Mt. Vernon, Texas. For the last four years, she has made her home in Marietta. Besides attending church, Velma liked playing 42, dominos, putting puzzles together, word searches, and crocheting. The television wouldn't come on until the 6 p.m. news and Wheel of Fortune aired. She looked forward each year to attending the memorial service at the Old Saltillo Cemetery where she would win the prize for being the oldest person present.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was also preceded in death by two daughters, Patsy Elaine Gross and Leanne Dennis; two brothers; and two sisters.
Survivors include her children, Michael "Mickey" Locke and wife Andrea of Marietta and Steve Locke and wife Dian of Grand Prairie; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Serving as pallbearers were Tyler Locke, Layton Locke, Cody Sullivan, Cass Sullivan, Logan Dennis, and Jason Locke.
Velma requested that memorial contributions be made to the Old Saltillo Cemetery Association at P.O. Box 123, Saltillo, Texas 75478.
Online guest book: wattsfuneralhome.com Flanagan-Watts
This obituary included a photo of Mrs. Locke.
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