David Locke, whose political contributions spanned from Wellesley’s Advisory Board and Board of Selectman to the state’s House of Representatives and Senate, has passed away at the age of 92 following a brief illness.
For longtime Wellesley residents, Locke was an institution. He was first elected as a Town Meeting member in 1949, just 4 years after graduating from Wellesley High, according to his formal obituary.
Locke, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps., attended Harvard and became a lawyer whose firm has operated in Wellesley for decades. Four of the 5 children he had with wife Barbara also joined the legal profession.
Locke, whose name adorns the Rte. 16/Rte. 9 bridge in Wellesley, became a prominent local and state politician. He served as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen in the early 1960s, served 8 years as a state representative and 12 terms as a state senator.
Sara, his eldest granddaughter, says “His love for Wellesley was undeniable.’
At the bridge dedication, the honoree read the following verse:
My Bridge
To all who pass under or cross over my bridge
I wish you good health and a very long life
Unlimited wealth and each day without strife
And when my time comes and surely it will
I’ll look up from below or down from on high
With a smile on my face I will proudly declare
From Dante’s Inferno or from high on a ridge
No scissors, no shovel but this is my bridge
Visiting Hours for Sen. Locke will be held from 4 – 7 pm on Wednesday, December 18th at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Route 16, Wellesley. The funeral from the funeral home on Thursday at 9 am, Mass at St. John the Evangelist, 9 Glen Road, Wellesley Hills at 10 am. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery.
The Senator spent his entire career in office fighting for the taxpayers. Despite being outnumbered by the majority party he never let that fact stop him from speaking out.
Senator Locke was a man called to public service with the highest of ideals. I recall that the Boston Globe used to describe him as having a “silver tongue “. He was a wonderful speaker. And a gentleman of the old school.
I lived down the street from David and around the corner from Barbara Blood. He went to school with my siblings and I went thru Wellesley schools with his younger brother, Alan. A wonderful family and our Town has just lost a remarkable resident.