Sue and I met Chris and Lisa in Antigua in 1999. We were on our honeymoon and they were yet to be married. We were sitting at adjacent tables in the restaurant and just struck up a conversation. They were so friendly and easy to talk to, we hit it off right away.
I remember Chris being somewhat antsy because the wait staff hadn't brought his coffee within the first minute of his being seated and he had an itinerary of the entire day's plans to follow. The pace of life in the Caribbean is 180° of that in NYC and this was certainly an adjustment😁.
We hung out together for the rest of the trip, which made it so much more enjoyable!  We were already making future plans to get together again, which we were very fortunate to do several times over the years.
Our sincerest condolences go out to Lisa, Hayden, Izzy and the rest of the family. We're going to miss him.

Condolences on behalf of the Beach Cities Sports Youth Flag Football League. Chris was our first Sponsorship Director, a Board Member and a Coach. He brought endless enthusiasm and optimism to everything he did. Most importantly, he was just a really, really nice guy. Wishes for strength and healing to all friends, family and colleagues. May his memory be a blessing.

We met the Locke's as next door neighbors in Manhattan Beach and become close with the same age children - many sleepovers and BBQs together. After we moved to Europe, they made the long trip to visit and we had a grand time together. Will miss him and wish the best for Lisa, Hayden, izzy and his wider family. Peace.

It's hard to find the right words to express the impact Chris had on my life. They were not only a mentor but a dear friend who guided me, inspired me, and believed in me when I doubted myself. The wisdom he shared and the kindness he embodied changed the course of my life forever. He introduced me to my best friend Bettsy and allowed me to be part of his family’s life. 

Chris  leaves an irreplaceable void, but I will carry his teachings, his laughter, and his strength with me always. I am eternally grateful for the time we shared and the lessons he imparted in my life. He believed in reaching for the stars and pursuing your goals with all that you have. 

Rest in peace, my dear friend and mentor. You will always be in my heart.

Chris' birthday was the day before mine, so he was literally one day older than me. He was almost like my twin brother. Chris and I grew up together in Concord, Massachusetts, but I don’t think our friendship didn't start the way they are supposed to. I was in middle school; my parents’ divorce hit me hard; I wasn't making friends, so my parents took me to a therapist. After many sessions, she convinced me that I had to make the first move if I was ever to make friends. So yep, I asked Chris out on a date. He said yes! I remember we saw a movie called Flamingo Kid, which was some bad Matt Dillon movie directed by Gary Marshall. But before we went to the movie, I remember he impressed me right away. He said, "Watch this," and ran upstairs and asked his mom for money for snacks at the movie. Then he ran to the living room and asked his dad for snack money. As a kid of divorced parents, I was FASCINATED by this dynamic. How cool was it having two parents! Of course, we ended up with such bad stomach aches from eating so much candy and popcorn, so we got what was coming for us. Anyway, that's how we became friends, and we’ve been friends ever since. He was always great about staying in touch. I sucked at it. I can’t help but sit here now and think, “I should have been a better friend.” But I was pretty good about one thing. On that one day when his age was higher than mine, I was pretty good about reaching out and saying, "Happy Birthday, old man." I will miss you.

Happy all the time, good memories with part of the workers.

Most recently, Chris and I would find time to connect over dinner to talk about work and life and the ever-evolving challenges of raising a family and getting older.  He was consistently supportive and his ability to draw out my concerns and express his confidence in me being able to overcome them gave me comfort on numerous occasions.  With Chris, it was always easy to express my insecurities and self-doubt and he was unfailingly genuine in his encouragement.  We would also talk about some the challenges he was facing, and I was impressed with the vigor and energy with which he tackled the challenges he was facing in his life.  He led a restructuring of the pension system as HFH, bought and remodeled his house in MB, set Hayden up for private school when that seemed like the best option and then shifted him back when that made more sense.  He supported Izzy in athletics and in her friend group and was available to host her social activities at a moments notice.  He and Lisa worked together to recruit and manage several au pairs for their family and then supported those young women as their lives evolved.  He had a very positive impact on a huge number of people.  Its really hard to acknowledge that he is gone from this world, but I know that his spirit will live on in all of those he touched.

Chris was courteous, personable, and clearly very smart.  But most importantly, he was consistently engaging and always found a way to connect with others making them feel welcome and understood.  When I had the opportunity to golf with one of my business associates from Japan, I thought of Chris right away.  Not only was he a remarkably good golfer, but in addition to being also in the real estate industry, he had studied in Japan and speaks Japanese quite well.  Needless to say he made a great impression, and we had a great time golfing, even though I messed up one of his shots by talking while he was hitting and also nailed him with a golf ball trying to chip on to the green.  We followed up the golf with a nice lunch with my Japanese associate, and then drove back to MB for an evening pilgrimage to the beach and a swim in the waves before the end of the day.  That day is one of my favorite memories with him.

Chris was my closest friend over the past 15 years.  We met in 2009 when he and Lisa rented the house that my family was leaving.  He and I re-connected at the gym several months later and quickly established a friendship that became deeper over the years.  As I have been going about my life since his passing last week, I am finding that nearly everything I do in the South Bay brings backs some memory of a great time that I had with him.  Early on in our friendship, we would run along the strand with our kids in jogging strollers – sometimes Kate and Hayden would hold hands between the strollers as we ran.  Chris joined me with a group of guys for Sunday morning pier to pier beach runs – it seemed like I was running with a gazelle at the time – he would spring lightly along the sand easily outpacing me but slow down to engage in the conversation.  We ran the MB10k together over the years - sometimes he would easily outpace me - sometimes it was the other way around.  A couple of times, we did sailing trips to the channel islands with Lisa, my wife Linda, and Neil and Kate Malik.  Chris was always a lively participant in the activities.  For many years, our priorities shifted to our growing families, but we kept connecting for workouts at the 24-hour Fitness.  Once they completed the remodel on their house on 5th Street, Chris and Lisa would invite us to their pool parties, which were always engaging.  Chris was my first call for good company and someone with whom to enjoy all of the offerings of the South Bay.

While Chris had known my young kids for many years, I recently had the opportunity to reintroduce them to Chris as adults.  Chris and I spent several evenings together with Charlie and Alex (and Hayden as well).  Chris was wonderful with them all and connected personally in a way that is exceedingly rare.  Both Alex and Charlie have expressed the great sense of loss they feel that they will no longer be able to engage with him and feel his connection.  A recent text from Alex:  “It was always fun to have him along with us for dinners. He always had so much insight and was such a personality”.  He treated them as treasured friends from the beginning and made them feel truly “seen” not as my kids, but as young adults he admired.  We are going to miss him dearly, but will forever treasure the times we spent with him.

My heart is broken by the loss of my best friend for nearly 30 years. He was like a brother to me. I will always cherish the time we spent together playing racket ball or golf, eating sushi, going to concerts and chargers games. However most importantly, seeing the pride and  joy that being a father bought to his life. No words can describe the pain and loss that his children and family have suffered with the loss one of the best man I’ve ever known. I loved you Christopher and will miss you forever.

Lisa, Hayden and Izzy, we are so sorry for this great loss. Chris will always be remembered as a kind , loving man. He loved being a father  and that showed in everything he did. We will deeply miss you Chris.

My deepest condolences to the Locke family. Chris was an incredibly kind person.

Our sincere condolences to Lisa and the family. You are in our hearts and prayers. May The Lord accept Christopher in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Emile Salama & family

With  heartfelt  deepest condolences to the  Locke Family. 
May you find peace and comfort during this difficult time. 

Anna Salama

My heart bleeds for Hayden, Izzy, Lisa, Janice, Bob, and all of us who loved you so dearly. You touched us in your magical way, and life will never be the same without you.

God had a great day and put all the finest human ingredients—integrity, generosity, love, kindness, courteousness, thoughtfulness, and helpfulness—into one soul and created Chris. His presence in my life was a gift beyond measure, and I will forever miss his smile, his gentleness, and his unwavering strength. As long as I live and beyond, Chris will remain in my heart, a beacon of love and light that will never fade. Goodbye, my love, until we meet again.

Chris was more than a boss. He was a friend, mentor and my admiration.
I am going to miss our brainstorming sessions. I am going to miss our inside jokes. But mostly I am going to miss you, Chris.
Rest in peace.

Loved going to games or golfing or just chit chatting on the phone.  You will be missed, so sorry to hear this.  Condolences to your family.

Thank you Chris for all you did, you were the best employer and support system.  Your positive, caring loving energy was heartfelt and appreciated. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to have shared such beautiful memories with you and HFH family. thank you from the bottom of my heart. You will truly be missed. May you rest peacefully in Paradise. Gloria Morua

OBITUARY

Christopher Hewins Locke

July 10, 1972 – August 27, 2024

Halverson, Stone & Myers Mortuary

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