Alvin “Al” Elmer Howard Locke

Alvin “Al” Elmer Howard Locke was born on Oct. 5, 1945 in DeRuyter, N.Y. to Carl Wayland and Marie Lou (Kingsberry), the youngest of their five children, where he grew up and attended school through DeRuyter High School.
He grew up on the family farm, raising crops and cattle. He was both a 4-H and FFA member and never lost the love of working the land, nor his affinity for being a cattleman.
He also served his beloved country in the army, ending in Vietnam before leaving the service in 1970, receiving an honorable discharge and several military awards, including marksman.
While in New York his profession was as a heavy metal collision master tech and on the side he worked for Ferrante Racing on Long Island.
In 2001 he and his wife, Randee (nee Schwartz), who were wed on July 14, 1991, relocated to Miller to return to raising cattle where they bred and raised registered Angus cattle under the name, Locke Ranch. In 2011 he had to stop splitting his time between doing heavy collision work weekdays at Legendary Collision and working on the ranch, due to Vietnam-connected injuries which included PTSD.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, injuries from Vietnam started seriously disabling him and they were forced to sell their cattle and ranch in 2020, and retired to Clever.
He passed away on April 29, 2025. Funeral arrangements were handled by Walnut Lawn Funeral Home and he was interred on May 5, 2025 in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery, both in Springfield.
He is survived by his wife, Randee, Karen (daughter), Autumn (granddaughter), Evelyn (sister), a multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his son, Robert Andrew Locke, parents, sister and brother-in-law Ruth and Neal Cheseboro, sister Clara (Horton), and brother Levy. Also, by his beloved father-in-law, Irving Schwartz.
Charities that he and Randee support include: St. Jude’s and Shriners Children’s Hospitals, Habitat for Humanity, The Wounded Warrior’s Project and Ozark Harvest.