Union Grove teller Linda Ohlsen retires next week.

Union Grove teller Linda Ohlsen retires next Thursday, August 1, after 32 years at North Shore Bank. She shared a few words with Shorelines about her career and plans, along with some wisdom for the tellers who will follow in her footsteps.

Why are you leaving now, after 32 years?
My husband, Larry, passed away in March, and my children are downsizing me! I’m moving to Rockford to be with my daughter Rhonda. I’ll be closer to other relatives I haven’t been close to in quite a few years, so that will be nice too.

What are your plans for life in Rockford?
My kids always have things that they’re doing, and I’m sure I’ll be going with them a lot. I’ll be learning the area and getting to know different people. And I do like to work on my crossword puzzles.

Will you be helping with the grandkids?
I suppose a little bit. But they’re 12 and 9, so they’re not real little anymore! The two others are 28 and 24.

What made you stay at North Shore Bank so long?
The people — all my customers and co-workers — become family, they become a part of you after a while.

You’ve been a teller this whole time, correct? Are any of your customers from 32 years ago still coming in?
I was a supervisor for a while, but I went back to being a teller — I enjoy the part-timeness of it. There are some customers who are still here from when I started, but of course, some of them have passed on.

Any closing words or advice for new tellers?
Sometimes customers aren’t happy when they come in, but making them happy by the time they leave — that’s always rewarding. Really care for the people you’re working with. Don’t think of them as account numbers. Because sometimes they come in and they’re not feeling so great, but you can make them feel better about themselves.