Howard Glenn “Buck” Locke, age 89, husband of Winona McBee Locke, and a resident of Columbia, Tennessee, passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care Center.
A celebration of life service will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 2:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home with Buck’s nephew, Reverend Ramsey Coutta officiating. Military honors will be provided by the United States Air Force. A visitation will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM and again on Sunday from 1:00 – 2:00 PM at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest in Maury Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
The youngest of four children, Buck was born on February 18, 1935, in Limestone County, Alabama, and was the son of the late Walter Tilmon Locke and the late Estelle Choran Locke. The family moved to Columbia, Tennessee when Buck was two years old.
He attended Andrews and Highland Park Elementary Schools, Whitthorne Middle School, and Columbia Central High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Tennessee Tech University and his master’s degree in curriculum and administration from Middle Tennessee State University. While in school, he starred on the Columbia Central High School football and basketball teams and played football while attending Tennessee Tech University in 1954, 1955, 1960, and 1961. He played on Columbia Central’s only state championship football team and in the Tangerine Bowl with Tennessee Tech University.
Buck served in the United States Air Force from January 1956 – January 1960 with the rank of Airman First Class. He was a long-time member of First United Methodist Church in Columbia, TN.
For many years, Buck was a physical education teacher and coached football, wrestling, gymnastics, and track and field for Southwest Dekalb High School and Walker High School, both in Decatur, Georgia. He worked twenty-five years as an insurance agent for State Farm Insurance Company in Columbia, Tennessee, where he earned bonus trips to Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, Greece, Spain, and Bermuda. Buck also visited New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, Turkey, and Greece.
Buck’s hobbies included bass fishing, watching sports, especially the Tennessee Vols, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Braves, and the Atlanta Falcons. He also enjoyed watching westerns, dancing, playing card games, and listening to country music. He loved to travel, often taking personal driving trips, and visiting western and middle Canada, and all of the US states except Alaska.
In addition to his wife, Winona of sixty-eight years, he is survived by his children, Britton Glenn (Molly) Locke of Milan, TN, Jennifer Winona (Brent Lee) Craig of Cornersville, TN, Matthew Brooks Locke of Columbia, TN, sister in law, JoAnn McBee Coutta, grandchildren, Amanda Elaine (Matt Correia) Craig, Andrew Glenn (Mark Baldwin, Jr.) Locke, John Lawrence Locke, Christopher Brandon (Allison Yates) Locke, Alexander Lee Craig, great grandchildren, Jaclyn Simone Locke, Emilia “Emi” Rose Locke, Salem Everette Locke, sister in law, Peggy Blodgett, and a host of nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his mother and father in law, Hubert Clyde and Avalene Brooks McBee, brother, Walter Henry (Wilma Murell) Locke, sisters, Joann Locke (Wilbur C.) Pritchett, Julia Faye Locke, and brother in law, Hubert Gerald McBee.
Honorary pallbearers will include Buck’s nieces and nephews, Ron Sellers, Al & Verna Frey, Freddie Fitzgerald, and members of the Bruce Strother Sunday School Class.
The family would like to extend special recognition to Dr. Gibran Naddy and Dr. Amit Choksi for their longtime care of Buck and to his longtime caregiver, Margo Lee, and caregivers, Valerie Gant, Beverly Moore for their care. Also special thanks to the doctors, nurses, and staff of NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care Center, Buck’s Room 2053, and to Maury Regional Medical Center Buck’s Room 352 for their excellent care and love.
