Lory and Ray Lockwood have been coming to Linville in the summers since the 1970s with their parents Peggy and Bill Lockwood. Grandfather Mountain was their playground, and it loomed large over their family’s mountain getaway. “It was just where we went to relax and have fun,” remembers Lory of her childhood. “Grandfather was defined by fun.”
Lory moved to New Orleans for college and ended up staying there for 50 years, until she and her husband, Tony Watts, who’s also fallen in love with Grandfather, decided to move to North Carolina in 2023. The move was fueled by a desire to be closer to Grandfather Mountain and to their grandchildren.
Ray, who lives in Atlanta, continues to bring his children and grandchildren up to Grandfather each summer. “The fourth generation of the Lockwood family is now loving Grandfather as much as my parents did as the first generation,” said Ray. “It is so fun to hike the trails and then enjoy a picnic lunch at Cliffside Overlook, the same place Lory and I picnicked with our parents many years ago.”
When Lory and Ray learned about the Boulder Club, they knew that having a boulder named for their family would be a lasting treasure that symbolizes their love of the mountain and provides a special place for their grandchildren to make memories of fun and family at Grandfather.
Having shared so much as brother and sister and through their times at Grandfather, Lory and Ray said it just made sense to share a boulder, too. Now, the “Lockwood Family Rocks!” boulder, located by their picnic spot at Cliffslide Overlook, is a place they gather, and there’s plenty of room for all of them to sit on top for family photos!