Juanita "Betty" McKinnon Locke was born on May 23, 1931 in Springfield, Massachusetts to George F. and Rhoda (Murphy) McKinnon of Litchfield. She spent her childhood in Belchertown, MA. The family later moved to Norfolk, CT where Betty graduated from Gilbert High School in Winsted, CT. She later lived in the Hartford area and attended accounting classes at the Hartford Institute of Accounting where she met her husband Emil (Lochowski) Locke. They married in 1951.

Betty and Emil moved to Norfolk Road in Litchfield in the 1950s where she was employed by the Litchfield Public School system for over 50 years. Betty began as a bookkeeper in the School lunch program and in the late 1960s took a position in the Litchfield High School library which she held until her retirement in 2005. Outside her career, Betty was involved in the Girl Scouts of America as a troop leader, an ative member of the Daughters of Isabella, and volunteered with the Litchfield Red Cross Blood Bank, the Litchfield Road Race, and the Friends of Fisher House. At her place of work, she was part of the AFS Intercultural Programs, the National Honor Society, and the Yearbook Committee.

After her retirement in 2005 Betty continued to volunteer at the Litchfield Center School library and spent time traveling abroad, including to Italy, England, France, Switzerland, Holland and the Canadian Rockies. She also involved herself with the Woman’s Forum and the Teacher’s Retirement luncheons. She finally passed away on September 10, 2025 at the age of 94.