Ralphine Locke

Ralphine (Louise) Locke passed away peacefully in her Banff home on Friday March 7, 2014 while a Chinook wind was blowing.

She was 88 years old.

Born August 10, 1925 at Lake Louise, Alberta in Banff National Park she was the first person of European descent born there. She was very proud of her Bow Valley pioneer roots and in 2013 was the Oldest Pioneer Lady in the Calgary Stampede's Centennial Parade. She served on the board of the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation from its inception, as President of the Southern Alberta Pioneers and Their Descendants and on the board of the McDougall Stoney Mission Society. She was a devout Christian Scientist from childhood and held true to her faith.

She is the beloved mother of Christie Mary Weiland (nee Locke) of Calgary and Gerald Timothy Harvey Locke of Banff and mother in law of Robert Dale Weiland and Marie-Eve Marchand. She is grandmother to Robin Louise Weiland (London, England) and husband Daniel Kolubinski , Nathan Weiland (Calgary) and wife Kate Weiland , Kelsey Irene Schalkwyk (nee Weiland of Miami, Australia) and husband Rodney, Stuart Alexander Locke (Toronto) and wife Sophie Fluyt, and Eric Peter Locke (Toronto). She is also great grandmother to Emma Kolubinski, Alexandra Kolubinski and Scarlet Weiland and Aunt to Strathie Elizabeth Geier (Okotoks) and husband Scott Tompkins and Michael Howard Geier (Dewinton) and wife Fay Woo Geier and their families. She was a close friend to her former daughter-in-law Wendy Francis. She was predeceased by her elder sister Maryalice Harvey Stewart and Helene Elizabeth Geier (nee Harvey), her parents Ralph Strathie Harvey and Elizabeth Boyd Harvey (nee Brewster) and her ex-husband Dr. Gerald Lorne Locke.

Ralphine was kind-hearted, gracious, determined, and effective. She began school in Banff two years early and was intellectually curious her entire life. World War Two ended her schooling and she moved to North Bay, Ontario to work as an air traffic controller. After the War she moved to Montreal and worked while her husband Gerald attended dental school at McGill University. She worked with the first IBM computer in the payroll department at the CPR. She became active in the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. On graduation they moved to Calgary where she worked as a copy writer for radio advertising before having children and her husband became the first Prosthodontist in Western Canada. She was active in the Samaritan Club for many years. She served on the board of the newly co-educational Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School and became board chair. While Chairman she set in motion the school's transition to focus on academic excellence, she was honoured with a Builder of the School Award and she sponsored the Locke Poetry and Short Story Contests. After her divorce she worked as Development Director at Glenbow Museum. She served on the committee that picked the official tartan for the City of Calgary. After her retirement she worked intensely on the restoration of the Lougheed House National and Provincial Historic Site.

In 2003 she moved back to Banff. Ralphine re-engaged with the Banff Community with an energy and enthusiasm that amazed people many years her junior. She served on the Town's Heritage Committee and became a living reference for Banff's history. She ran the Luxton Home Museum as a volunteer. In 2009 she was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Heritage Conservation by the Town of Banff. Subsequently she received one of the inaugural Shine Awards from the Banff Community Foundation. News media outlets from across Canada and around the world featured her and her deep connection to the history of Banff. She wrote beautiful haiku one of which was published in Kyoto, Japan. She had many dear friends in Banff, Calgary and across Canada. She will be cremated and commemorated in the Locke family plot in the old Banff Cemetery.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, March 29, 2014

at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff.

Condolences can be sent to BOX 4887, Banff, Alberta, T1L 1G1

or by email to locker@telus.net

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.