Robert H. Easter Sr., a locksmith and founder of Easter's Lock & Key Service in Towson, died of a heart attack Monday at his home in Oak Crest Village in Parkville. The former Towson resident was 76.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Mr. Easter was a graduate of city public schools. During World War II, he served as a gunner aboard battleships in the Pacific.

After the war, he owned and operated a photography studio in Hamilton, and later worked as a steelworker at the Sparrows Point plant of Bethlehem Steel Corp.

Fascinated with locks, Mr. Easter took a correspondence course and spent hours in a basement workshop fabricating locks and keys.

"They sent him a blank skeleton key, a file and a lock and told him to make it work," said his son, Robert H. Easter Jr. of Baldwin, who now operates the business.

In 1953, he quit work at Sparrows Point and opened the locksmith business in the 1700 block of E. Joppa Road. It has grown into one of the largest in the Baltimore area.

Mr. Easter -- who worked the day he died -- had many interesting experiences during his nearly 50-year career.

"One time he got a call from a prostitute who had handcuffed her client to a bed and then lost the key. She called my father, who made a house call. It only took a second to unlock him, and I don't think he even charged her," the son said.

"He used to boast that he could 'go anywhere and unlock anything.'"

Mr. Easter's hobbies included photography and target shooting.

In 1947, he married Catherine M. Rogers, who died in 1994.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Lemmon Funeral Home, 10 W. Padonia Road, Timonium.

In addition to his son, Mr. Easter is survived by a granddaughter.