Sid Locker

Sidney Locker of Willowbrook, on Staten Island in New York state, a World War II veteran and retired Port Richmond High School guidance counselor, died April 26 at Staten Island University Hospital. He was 76. “Despite having four separate cancers (three cancers other than GIST), Sid was a fighter,” said his wife, Millie. “He was courageous and strong and never gave up hope during his 14 years of tests, surgeries and doctor visits. Sid’s perseverance and strength was a model for many of the patients he encountered. Born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn, he settled in Willowbrook in 1967 with his wife and three children. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School, Brooklyn, Mr. Locker entered the Navy and served during World War II. Following the war, he received his bachelor’s degree in history and his master’s degree in education from Brooklyn College. Mr. Locker continued his education at the former Richmond College, receiving credentials in counseling. For more than 20 years, Mr. Locker worked as a teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School and as dean of boys at Grady High School, Brooklyn. He then worked as a counselor at Port Richmond High School for more than a decade before retiring in the late 1980s. For several years after retiring, he worked as a counselor for Auxiliary Services for High Schools. Mr. Locker was a member of the Association of Teachers of Social Studies, the New York City Guidance Counselors Association, the New York State United Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). He was honored by the UFT as an outstanding teacher. Mr. Locker enjoyed sculpting, painting and photography. He was also an avid reader and a history buff. He was a member of Congregation Temple Emanu-El, Port Richmond. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, the former Mildred Riter; his son, Paul; his two daughters, Felice Fenwick-Smith and Emily Goldsmith; a sister, Bea Luft, and three grandchildren. Mrs. Locker voiced her family’s appreciation for everyone in the Life Raft Group for their e-mails, advice and support, especially Norman Scherzer