Donald Lockery Obituary (1954 - 2023)

Born May 19, 1954, Donald Lockery attended North High School in North St. Paul, MN. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Donald Lockery.

Graduation Year	Class of 1972
Date of Birth	May 19, 1954
Date of Passing	Aug 29, 2023
About	Drown while kayaking with his grandson
Events	Donald Raymond Lockery, 69, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed away unexpectedly on August 29, 2023. Don was born on May 19, 1954, in St. Paul Minnesota. He will always be remembered as an amazing husband, adored father, loving papa, loyal brother, and dedicated to his entire family. Don is survived by his wife, Linda, and daughters, Erika (Adam) and Emily (Steve). Don held a special place in the hearts of his six grandchildren, Clara, Grant, James, Luca, Nico & Giovanni. Don is also survived by his sisters, Elaine & Heidi. He also leaves behind sixteen nieces and nephews. Don was preceded in death by his mother, Erika and father, Raymond. Don was born and raised in North St. Paul, Minnesota where he attended North St. Paul High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin. While working at Gould, Don met his soul mate, wife Linda. They had their first daughter, Erika, and then shortly after, an exciting job opportunity with Marquette Electronics brought Don and his family to Germantown, Wisconsin. While living in Wisconsin, they expanded their family by adding another beautiful daughter, Emily. Don continued his education and earned his master's degree in engineering management from MSOE while working for Marquette Electronics. Later, he got the opportunity to move to Michigan to live near his daughters and work for another medical company MC3 Cardiopulmonary. Don's work ethic was unparalleled – he worked vigorously and had a hand in impacting the lives of numerous people by the medical products he designed and created. He was most proud of his patent for a medical device enhancement that him and his co-worker, David Hernke developed while working at GE Marquette Medical Systems in March of 2003. The patent was for an improvement to the spot vital sign monitor by adding multiple-link cable management apparatus (patent number 6533723). As much as he loved his work, it was the love for his family that gave Don his greatest joys. He provided a loving and supportive home for his wife and daughters. He loved watching Vikings football with his family and taught his girls how to play baseball, soccer, golf, and even how to change the oil and tires on their cars. He believed his daughters could do anything and be anything – he encouraged them to work hard, be kind, and to never give up. His sons-in-law Steve and Adam thought the world of Don, and Don treated them as if they were his own sons. In addition to his two daughters and son-in-law he was blessed with six grandchildren that he treasured. He had a special way of connecting to each one of them; Clara loved learning about birds and nature from her Papa, Grant enjoyed building train tracks with him, James would read books for hours with Papa, Luca shared themed birthday party celebrations, and Nico and Gio adored doing anything and everything with their Papa. He was the perfect Papa to the kids, he brought so much fun and joy to their lives, the love between them was profound. The way he looked at his wife, girls, and the grandchildren; how he talked to them, and about them, it was obvious of his unconditional love. Don's outgoing and friendly personality blessed him with many long-lasting friendships from high school, the softball guys, co-workers, and neighbors. Don loved life and lived it the way it should be lived. He made the most of every moment and everyone he loved. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Don's grandchildren's college fund through the donation linked below or, if preferred, a cash/check donation addressed to Linda Lockery (4177 Saint Andrews Way, Ann Arbor, MI 48103). Link for college fund contributions: https://everloved.com/life-of/donald-lockery/ His life will be celebrated on Friday, September 8, 2023 at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 530 Elizabeth St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 with Mass at 10:00am, gathering before starting at 9:00am. Entombment will take place to follow at Washtenong Memorial Park, 3771 Whitmore Lake Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Please join the family afterwards for a memorial luncheon at the Gandy Dancer, 401 Depot Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, from 12:30pm-3:00pm. Please sign the Tribute Wall and share a memory of Donald.