Joseph Ace Locke died of natural causes on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at his family home on Savage Lake in Troy, Mont. He was there with his beloved cat Zoe, whom he’d rescued off the streets of Missoula five years earlier.
Ace was born April 21, 1977, in Whitefish, the youngest child of Karen and Jim Locke, and raised in Lincoln County with his brother and four sisters. He graduated from Troy High School and attended Sierra Nevada College.
A born daredevil, Ace’s great loves were snowboarding, skateboarding, and martial arts. He was also a lifelong musician who could play the trumpet and piano by ear. Ace spent the last year in Bozeman, snowboarding at Bridger Bowl and enjoying life with his nieces and nephews.
Ace was generous and loyal. He was positive and enthusiastic and full of life and unfailingly accepting of everyone. Upon hearing of Ace’s death, a high school friend said, “He was kind to me when so many were not. He had a heart of gold.”
Ace was a sweet soul, both blessed and cursed with an original mind. He was a true skater-poet.
Ace is survived by his sisters, Kirsten, Kate, Katchen, and Killian; his nieces, Mary Grace, Ann, Natalie, and Abby; and his nephews, John, Zane, and Jace.
A celebration of Ace’s life was held Wednesday, July 3 at his family’s home in Troy. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity. Arrangements are by Schnackenberg Funeral Home in Libby. Online condolences and memorials may be made at www.schnackenbergfh.com.