Lorene Lockwood, age 89, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Thursday, November 28, 2019, at the Medicalodge in Ft. Scott. She was born February 6, 1930, in Salem, Arkansas, the daughter of William Foster and Ethel Martin Foster. After graduating high school in Arkansas, Lorene moved to Kansas City.
She first married William Mills and they moved around the country until settling back in Johnson County in the 1960’s. Lorene had worked on The Plaza in Kansas City as a model and was also a ground hostess for Braniff International Airline. She married James E. Lockwood in 1966. Together they bought a home in South Kansas City where they lived for forty years. Together, they traveled the world and enjoyed Jim’s love of the sea and explored many ports of call on sailboats. From the Greek Isles to Tahiti, Virgin Gorda to the Yangtze, they did it all.
They visited South America in 1967 and she even made it up to Machu Pichu along with Sugar Loaf in Brazil and Punta del Este in Uruguay. Throughout their marriage they loved to travel and there is hardly a country they did not visit together. Along the way Lorene worked as a manager of a beauty salon and then found her niche as a realtor. She spent thirty years in the real estate business with several outstanding Johnson County companies. Lorene was also very involved with charity organizations in the KC Metro – the Ballet Ball, the Philharmonic and especially the United Way where she served a term as chairperson. She was truly instrumental in helping Kansas City, Missouri be a City for the Arts.
Survivors include two sons, Jeffrey Mills and Ronald Mills.
Following cremation, private burial will take place in the Evergreen Cemetery in Ft. Scott. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, Kansas.
