Roger Sherman Locke, a Korean War veteran and avid fisherman who spent many summers in Provincetown before retiring here, died at Cape Cod Hospital of complications from pneumonia on June 6, 2025. He was 93.
Roger was born in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1931 to William Locke, a general practitioner and surgeon who started out as a Navy doctor, and Esther Bohm Locke, an artist and the daughter of renowned artist Max Newcomb Bohm, a founder of the Provincetown art colony who bought a house in the East End in 1918.
“He was a great life partner, and I miss him every day,” said his wife, Nanette.
Roger was raised in Hyde Park, N.Y. but spent every summer in Provincetown, fostering his lifelong love of the town as well as his fishing and lobstering skills.
His ease on the water was born in his early experiences of sailing with his family from Hyde Park to various Caribbean islands in their 48-foot schooner, Tonga; he would later spend much of his time on Cape Cod Bay.
As a young man, Roger completed a three-year tour of duty in the U.S. Coast Guard, which included manning a LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) station during the Korean War on the island of Saipan in the Pacific.
He received his bachelor of science degree from Harvard College in 1953 and soon began his career as general manager of several corporations that supplied high-purity metals and chemicals to research laboratories and universities. He also produced a popular consumer catalog of hard-to-find tools for craftsmen and created a start-up company for a British firm. But “he always said his favorite job was repairing the electronics on the fishing boats moored in Boston Harbor,” something he did right after his stint in the Coast Guard, said Nanette.
In Provincetown, his signature red SeaCraft boat was usually the first in the water in the East End and a true harbinger of summer.
Roger had many adventures while boating, but the most memorable and moving to him was his rescue of an endangered leatherback sea turtle that was entangled in two lobster pots, struggling to surface for air. He cut the lines and freed it, and, before it dove back to the depths, Roger said, it made eye contact with him as if to thank him.
“I was just blown away when he called to tell me what happened,” said Nanette.
Roger eventually retired to Provincetown, sold his sports car, bought a pickup truck, put away his wristwatch, and went fishing. He was also a wonderful cook and, together with Nanette, frequently hosted family and friends, including at music- and dance-filled New Year’s Eve parties.
He also spent his days exploring new and challenging interests: He built a wooden kitchen table and a dinghy, which he then used to row out to his mooring. He upholstered chairs, made beer and wine at home, smoked bluefish, fashioned decorative wooden bowls on his lathe, and produced a magnificent garden full of flowers and vegetables.
He had a “keen intellect,” was a voracious reader, and had a passion for classical music and opera, said Nanette, inspiring them both to attend many concerts over the years. They also enjoyed listening to music at home, thanks to the surround-sound system set up by Roger, whose handiness and problem-solving skills prompted folks who needed help with such issues to often say, “Ask Mr. Wizard!”
“Roger was a very private man who kept to himself but could always be counted on to help solve a problem with his quiet wisdom,” said Nanette.
“He never hesitated to give his opinion, whether popular or not,” she added. “He was known to have a twinkle in his eye and a playfully mischievous sense of humor. He will be treasured in our memories and greatly missed by all whose lives he touched.”
Roger is survived by his wife of 43 years, Nanette St. Pierre-Locke of Provincetown and Worcester; his son from a previous marriage, Bradford Locke, and wife Jeannie of Punta Gorda, Fla.; stepson Paul Karpawich and wife Kirsten of Hopkinton, N.H. and their children, Max and Alex; brother Geoffrey Locke and wife Eugenia of Sao Paulo, Brazil; sister Anne Packard of Provincetown; grandchildren Christopher, Matthew, and Julia Locke; and various nieces and nephews. He will also be remembered by his brothers-in-law, Richard, Edward, and Henry, and their families.
A celebration of Roger’s life is being planned for the fall. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the World Wildlife Federation.
