Ben grew up on the family farm near Mangum, OK, with his brother Jim and two sisters, Sybil and Marjorie.
He joined the Army Air Corps during WWII and was stationed in Alaska as a radio operator. Family legend has it that he relayed the message that Emperor Hirohito had surrendered. He was called up again by the Air Force during the Korean War.
Ben married Julianne Marie Clark in Great Falls, MT, in 1949. Their fruitful marriage produced six children; Rebecca Doll and her husband Thomas, of Casper, WY, Sister Marie Paul Lockerd, RSM, of St. Louis, MO, Ben Lockerd, Jr. and his wife Micheline, of Grand Rapids, MI, Clark Lockerd and his wife Jan, of Houston, TX, Joe Lockerd and his wife Diane, of Golden, CO and David Lockerd and his wife Linda, of Cincinnati, OH; 15 grandchildren, and (so far) 20 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Marjorie Hall of DeKalb, TX; and a brother, Jim Lockerd and his wife Sarah of Lawton, OK. He was preceded in death by a sister, Sybil Richardson. He was a loving and hard-working father who taught his children the value of education and work. After Judy’s untimely death, he married Wanda Ledbetter, who preceded him in death.
Mr. Lockerd pursued a long and successful career as a radio and television engineer. He established the first television station in western North Dakota, KDIX, Dickinson, and he later worked many years for KTWO in Casper, WY. Longing to return to the southern lands of his youth, Ben moved to Fort Smith, AR, in 1971, where he continued his radio and television career and also expanded into rental property ownership and management.
Throughout his life, Ben was a Ham Radio operator, becoming one of the most accomplished operators in the world. He received a prestigious DX award for communicating with Ham operators in every nation in the world and was granted a coveted two-letter call sign, W5NF.
Ben will be remembered by family and friends for his warmth, his charm, and his brilliant mind, which continued to burn with a bright light to the end. He was recognized far and wide as an extraordinary auto-didact, capable of figuring out how things worked and of repairing and improving them.
Funeral Mass will be 2:30 P.M. Monday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with a private interment at the Fort Smith National Cemetery. Family will greet friends from 2:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. Monday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Fentress Mortuary.
To send an online tribute, go to www.fentressmortuary.com
