Marga Lee “Margie” Massey Lockard, 87, of West Monroe was ushered into her heavenly home in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 26, 2020. She had been a resident of Ridgecrest Community Care Center. Marga was born in Clark County, Mississippi on January 27, 1933 to Claude Weston and Gertrude Lafferty Massey. On March 3, 1951, she married the love of her life, William Earl “Bill” Lockard, who died in 2005.
Her husband, parents and lovely big sister Betty Jean Shirley of Meridian Mississippi welcomed her into Heaven. She leads the way home for her surviving big brother James Weston Massey of Shreveport, and her precious baby sister Joanna Ruth Massey of Monroe to follow.
Grateful to be her children are Betty Lee “Betsy” Jackson (husband Bobby Jackson); Linda Ann Freeman (husband Johnny Ray Freeman); William Earl “Billy” Lockard, Jr. (wife Melissa Crowell Lockard); and Mark Alan Lockard (wife Donna Borden Lockard) of Bern, Kansas.
The lights of her life are her grandchildren and their children: Michelle Hebert Counts (and her children Jed, Livi and Dax); Richard D. Jackson (wife Amelia Bauer Jackson and children Landon and Hudson); Robert W. Jackson (wife Randi Neely Jackson and children Brennan Jackson and Jaden Underwood); Jesse M. Freeman (wife Kimberly McGee Freeman and son Jackson); John Wallace Freeman; Samantha Lynne Lockard (fiance’ Ralph Moody, Jr.); and Natalie Danielle “Dani” Lockard (daughter Zoey).
Young Marga loved to go to the revivals and camp meetings her father preached, and she gave her life to Jesus Christ as a child. In her later years, she was a member of New Chapel Hill Baptist Church. She went to Ouachita High School, then took time out for raising her family. She returned to NLU in Monroe, and earned her degree in Accounting in 1981, graduating alongside her daughter Linda. In 1995, she became the first Lifetime Sustaining Member of the NLU Alumni Association. She was voted President of the American Business Women’s Association and Woman of the Year in 1982. This honor was especially precious to her as her mother, Gertrude Massey, also served as President of the ABWA many years earlier. She loved cardinals, who reminded her of her earthly and heavenly fathers. She was always game for whatever game anyone wanted to play. She loved going to West Monroe High School football games with her family and friends, and was Dome-Bound whenever West Monroe was!
Pallbearers will be grandsons: John Wallace Freeman, Richard Jackson and Robert Jackson; great-grandsons Jed and Dax Counts; and Lance Harris, close friend of the family. Honorary Pallbearers will be grandson Jesse Freeman and Ray Hebert, Jr.
Visitation will be from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Thursday, October 1, 2020 at Kilpatrick’s Funeral Home, 1321 N. 7th Street in West Monroe, LA. Rev. Werner Aswell will share words of hope and encouragement at 2:00 PM. Marga will be buried beside her husband Bill in Kilpatrick’s Serenity Gardens.
The visitation and service will be streamed on Kilpatrick’s website. The watch button will appear on Mrs. Lockard’s obituary just prior to visitation.