Margaret (Revels) Locklear

How do you simplify 95 years of a life well lived? The life of Margaret Revels Locklear is impossible to capture on a single page. Her life journey deserves its own book—a series of stories and guidance to pass down to future generations. The only way to simplify Margaret would be to replace her name with love. That is her legacy. She loved, she was greatly loved, and her life will forever be defined by love. 

Love came easy to Margaret, but that’s because she was raised by the picture of love. Her mother, Mozella Revels, was the family matriarch and modeled selflessness and sacrifice which Margaret would one day replicate for her own family. As the oldest child, Margaret watched her mother raise five biological children on her own, and with the assistance of her brother Titus, Mozella opened her heart and home to raise a total of 13 children. It never mattered whether or not there was a biological connection, when Mozella loved you, you were loved and cared for, forever. And that’s exactly who Margaret became. She raised four children of her own (the late Jeanette Locklear, the late Vincent Locklear, Anthony Locklear of Cary, and Dena Dagnan of the home) alongside her late husband Curtis Locklear. And though she could have retired from parenting and raising children once her own children grew up and moved out, she continued opening her heart and home to children until her dying day. Margaret’s love became shelter for her grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and a host of endless friends. 

Margaret’s love was also a form of healing for many. When her daughter Jeanette became paralzyed after a car wreck, it was Margaret’s love and care that helped restore her. When her son Vincent was told he wouldn’t live past 17 years of age, it was Margaret’s love and strength that fought on his behalf. That unwavering love helped keep her children alive for decades longer than doctors ever expected, and her love is ultimately what led them both to Christ. 

Like Mozella, Margaret loved friends as deeply as she loved family. That love can be seen in the unbreakable connection she shared with her best friend Darkis Dial. After Darkis’ passing, Margaret vowed to honor their lifelong friendship by stepping in and being a mother to Darkis’ own children. 

Margaret’s love for people wasn’t the only passion of her life. She found great joy in gardening—both flowers and growing vegetables—fishing, cooking, quilting, baking, and traveling the world. Margaret made her way to all 48 states on the US mainland and visited countries in Europe, Canada and South America. And she didn’t need the ability to read a map 

or drive a car to do it. It was love that carried her around the world. Friends and family who, when planning a trip, thought that adding Mrs. Margaret into the mix would make their travels just a bit more enjoyable. 

Margaret’s love is the type of love we all deserve to experience in life. Her love was funny and deep, but it was also brutally honest and God-fearing. Margaret’s love was selfless, sacrificial and unwavering. You couldn’t be in the presence of Margaret without being in the presence of true love. Thankfully, Margaret lived to see four generations of Locklear children and was able to pour her love and life lessons into each one. And if she was here today she would tell both family and friends to carry her memory on through love. Love has no cost, it breaks down walls, it heals and restores, and it can change lives for the better.