A lot has changed since James Roberts joined Locke’s as a college student in 2012. He began with maintenance and janitorial duties at the West Fourth Street location. Since then, Locke’s has grown tremendously and expanded to three other locations.
What has not changed is James’s love for being part of the Locke’s team. When asked to stay with the team after his first summer, he jumped at the opportunity. After graduating college, he joined the accounting department full-time. Today, James is the financial controller for all Locke’s locations.
In his free time, James enjoys weekends at his family cabin in Clear Lake, golfing, trapshooting, or catching University of Iowa football games as a season ticket holder. His goal is to watch the Hawkeyes play at each Big Ten stadium.
James is also marking his 11th season as an Iowa high school football referee. “I take sports way too seriously, which I admit is so silly. If one of my favorite teams just lost a close game, let me sit and sulk for a few minutes before I snap out of it,” he said.
He also takes his work seriously, always keeping in mind the families he sees are potentially going through the most challenging time in their life. He is known to communicate honestly and compassionately and goes out of his way to help however he can. “We really strive to make the family’s worst days a little easier and relieve some of the burden that is felt during the loss of a loved one. The staff’s entire focus is to help families in need,” he said.
Being part of the Locke’s team has been a blessing for James. “The Locke family is a tremendous family to work for. They treat the employees very well and the work they do outside of the funeral home in the community is very commendable as well,” he said.
James is particularly fond of Locke’s progressive nature in always keeping an eye on the future. With the expansion, Locke’s can better serve the community with a variety of options for grieving families—from traditional funeral services to informal celebrations of life.
If you need any funeral services, please contact Locke Funeral Services by calling 319-233-6138. Our staff is ready to assist you with any of your needs.
