Paula J. Locker, age 48, of Grinnell, died on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Monday, January 11, 2016, at the Grinnell Christian Church with Pastor John Epperson officiating. Casket bearers are Ken and Cindy McMains, Tracy Sadler, Laurie Krammer, Dave Krumm and Sheila Graham. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Smith Funeral Home with the family present to greet friends from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Memorials may be designated to the Paula J. Locker Memorial Fund to benefit Garrett and Cara's college funds and other local organizations, and may be mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared online with the family at www.smithfh.com. Paula Jean French was born on May 25, 1967, to Guy and Phyllis (Kroeger) French in Grinnell, Iowa. She was raised in Brooklyn, Iowa, where she graduated from BGM High School with the class of 1985. She attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. She was united in marriage to Leroy Locker on September 22, 2001, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Grinnell. They were blessed with a son, Garrett and a daughter, Cara. Paula worked at several local businesses in Grinnell, including Dollar General, Kum and Go, and most recently at Jeld Wen Doors. She was a Boy Scouts volunteer, an organizer and participant of Relay for Life, and an active member of the Grinnell Tiger Booster Board, who spent countless hours volunteering in the concession stand. Paula's family was her life. She was a strong supporter of all of Garrett and Cara's school and athletic programs. She was a big sports fan and enjoyed watching soccer and football, especially her favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. Her enjoyments included watching TV shows such as Chicago Fire, Survivor, Biggest Loser, Big Brother, and The Voice, listening to country music, going to country music concerts, especially Jason Brown, Reba McEntire and Luke Bryan. She will be remembered for the love of her family, her fun-loving personality, her kind, giving and gentle way, and for being a friend to many and a stranger to none. Paula is survived by her husband of 14 years, Leroy Locker of Grinnell; two children, Garrett and Cara Locker of Grinnell; mother, Phyllis French-Dauma of Brooklyn; two brothers, Tracy (Melissa) French of Andover, Minnesota and their children, Guy and Erin French, and John (Deana) French of North Richland Hills, Texas and their son, Liam French; and step-sister, Cindy (Steve) Kelsey of Omaha, Nebraska and their children, Joleene, Tiffani, and William. She was preceded in death by her father, Guy French in 1982; step-brother, George William Dauma, Jr. in 2006; and her step-father, George William Dauma, Sr. in 2015.