Sue at Southwest.

Southwest teller Sue Koch retires tomorrow, Friday, December 13, after 24 years at the branch. “Yes, I’ve been here the whole time,” she says.

Sue’s banking career started right out of high school at National Savings & Loan, where she worked part time while helping her father with bookkeeping at his business, and then full time once he retired. When her daughter was born, she mostly left the workforce, and then returned to banking when she joined North Shore Bank in 1995.

“I liked the customer interaction more than being in the back where you didn’t talk with customers,” she says. “So when there was an opening here for a teller position, I decided to get back into it.”

Naturally, it’s those customers she’ll miss most as she moves on into retirement.

Her new project: Oliver Wendell Koch the First.

“I’ve known kids that used to sit up on my window when they were 3, and now they’re 27 and they still come in and I still give them suckers!” she says, chuckling. “You get to know them, like family. That’s how I take care of people. I talk to them and get to know them and to know what they need. I’m going to miss that a lot.”

“Sue has been a staple at the Southwest office for the last 24 years,” branch manager Joline Lazarski says. “With good old-fashioned customer service as her priority, she has helped customers with their financial goals by offering them products that put them in a better situations — and she has made true friends that treat her like family.”

Joline adds: “She has also been one of our annual winners time and time again for top teller of the year! On a personal note, she has always gone above and beyond for not only the customers but for other staff members as well. We will be losing one of our family members as she leaves, and wish her all the happiness in the world as she starts this new stage in her life. She deserves every bit of it.”

Sue should have plenty to keep her busy for the near future. “My husband, Jim, bought me a 3-month-old kitten for my retirement present, and that’s like having a 2-year-old. So right now I’m not planning anything,” she says. After that, she’ll look into into volunteering at the nursing home opening next to her condo in the spring.

As for her time here, she says, “It’s been very fulfilling, and I’ve enjoyed it. Now it’s just time to be home with my husband and do some traveling and relax. So that’s my plan!”

Southwest will hold an open house tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate Sue’s retirement.