Steven Wilbur Locke

Steve graduated from Piketon HS in 1966.

Steve and I met in Knockemstiff, Ross County Ohio in summer of 1966. ( not at Haps as he would laughingly tell) we started dating Nov 8, 1966.we went Cavalier skating rink. I knew he was the one for me from that moment. He felt the same way he said.

He was drafted into Army January 1968. Boot camp in Ft Knox , Ky ..Small Arms infantry in Fort Ord, California, then to Panama Canal for Jungle warfare training, then stayed there for 18 months to guard Canal and train other soldiers, honorably discharged in Jan. 1970 as Sargent E5.

He was working at Mead paper mill in Chillicothe Ohio when he left for Army, they held his job for him till he got home, but soon after he came home they had a massive layoff. He then went to work on construction with IBEW ..

we were married December 31st 1970.(our dream come true finally) We moved to South Shore Ky, for 9 mo. Then we moved to Clarksburg , W Va. , he was working on the Harrison Station power plant , we were there 2 yrs we .met lifelong friends there… We bought a little house on Longfork Rd , piketon and Steve remodeled it on weekends when we came home from W Va. we moved back in Nov 1973.

In 1974 Steve got a job at Goodyear Atomic Plant as an electrician. Then we decided to start our family, Steven Donald (Donnie) our only child was born Sept 1976 ( what a blessing)

In 1978 we bought a piece of ground on Waldren Hill Rd Piketon , sold our house and Steve and I built our new home . We moved in it Dec 24, 1979. And lived there together for 44 yrs.

Donnie graduated HS in 1995, went to college 4 years. He got married in 2000 and blessed us with our only grandchild, Lorianda Don aka Punky, Pappy ( Steve ) gave her that name. She was born March 2001. 1 week before Steve’s birthday.

Steve retired from Atomic plant in April 2018. After retirement things didn’t go as planned, he was beginning to fail in health , his back was a serious issue and then other things started happening to him .. Then in March 2020 the world shut down because of Covid 19. We were isolated from friends and family for over a year, it was a time like no one has ever seen… schools, work places , restaurants, stores even some churches were closed. Everyone that did get out had to wear masks . We would make grocery orders on line and then go pick them up at loading docks . Then we had to wash everything before it came into house. The hospitals were full of dying people, whose family’s weren’t allowed to be with them..

the only bright side to it was Steve and I spent our last days together 24/7 , but we were so close we pretty much done that our entire life.

Just as we were coming out of Covid Steve started having more serious problems, in Dec of 2021 he was admitted to hospital and was there for 4 months. He was on a ventilator and had a trach . So he couldn’t talk to us but we still communicated with our eyes,

While he was in hosp a lot of important things happened in his life. Feb 2022 our Punky was married to Terry. April 2022 Steve gave his life to God and was baptized.. I thank God for giving him the opportunity to do this … now my goal is to meet him again ..

also in April Punky told us we were going to be great pappy and mammy to a little girl. Steve was so excited.. Punky also graduated nursing school. Pappy was always so proud of her. We all are,

then we got to bring him home , not with the outlook we hoped and prayed for but he was home and so happy to be home.

In Nov of 2022 He did get to meet our little great granddaughter Lilliana Rose, Lilly for short..

there was a special connection between them … they would smile at each other, and he would kiss her little feet and head.. you could see the love between them…she still has a connection to him I believe, when she comes to our house she goes straight to Pappys stuff..

on March 2 2023 things began to change that morning, it was my birthday, he woke up , gave me a big smile and wanted to give me birthday kisses and I also believe they were goodbye kisses.

The next morning March 3 2023 things were really going downhill I ask Stevie to wait till the kids got here, he did, all his vitals were coming back up to almost normal… the kids got here and spoke to him …. It was such a dreary rainy cold day about 4:30 pm the sun came out so bright and there was a ray of sunshine that came in the living room window and shined right on him …At 5:00 his heart stopped beating and the sun ray went away, and Stevie went with it. Then it got black, wind started blowing it was a terrible storm, our electric was flashing .. he was on the ventilator so I had to make the decision, but I couldn’t… no I just couldn’t let him go, even tho I knew he had already left us..but as the wind was howling and lights flashing his sweet voice came to me in my heart and said.

“ Let me go mom “ I whispered to him “ ok Dad, I love you so much “ I looked at Lana (our daughter in law) Stevie’s own private nurse as he called her , and nodded my head and told her it’s time…

I don’t know that I could have ever been able to do that without the events that happened that afternoon but God guided us thru Stevie’s passing and I want to thank him everyday for it..

Steve was the most wonderful, kind, loving and patient husband, father and grandfather there ever was and now I’m just waiting to meet him again on the Other Side…

Thanks for visiting Stevie’s grave and reading this..

you are welcome to leave any comments, pictures of Stevie you may have… May God Bless You the way he has me by giving me Steve in my life…

I will always love and remember you Stevie.