Sister Bay Teller Mary Blazer is retiring soon.

Born in the Twin Cities and raised and educated in Appleton, Mary Blazer moved to picturesque Door County 15 years ago with her husband, Brian. As they both began thinking about retirement, Mary knew she wasn’t quite ready.

She had worked in human resources for Appleton manufacturer Miller Electric, and she had been a real estate agent and interior designer. “I was looking for something to slow down to,” Mary says.

Five years ago, Mary saw a part-time teller opening at the Sister Bay branch in a local newspaper. “It has been wonderful — a position with pleasant working conditions, pleasant coworkers,” Mary says as she prepares to retire. She has appreciated the flexible hours and benefits that came with her 20-hour-a-week position.

Originally, Mary planned to retire on Aug 1. A few days ago, however, she agreed to stay on a bit longer to help a coworker who needed to take some time off suddenly due to a family emergency.

Mary’s husband retired in May. The Blazers don’t have immediate travel plans. “Who would want to miss the beauty of autumn on the Door Peninsula?” she says. “After that, we’ll be into the holiday season.”

Mary and Brian have a son, also Brian, who lives in Portland, Oregon. He gets to Wisconsin often, so retiring will give her more time with him.

Mary will miss her coworkers — “They are a joy,” she says — and the variety of people who make up her branch’s customer base. She’ll begin life as a retiree by taking a computer class. “I want to learn Microsoft Word and Excel for my own use and benefit,” she says.

Speaking of joy, Teller Supervisor Becky Redling returns the compliment. “Mary has been a joy to work with,” Becky says. “She is not only a coworker; she’s also a very dear friend.

“Mary is very funny and spontaneous. When you came in after Mary had worked, you would never know where you might find things. She worked very hard at making our branch streamlined and user-friendly. It was like an Easter egg hunt.

“The knowledge that Mary has about Door County and our community will be greatly missed. Our branch will not be the same without her.”

Area Branch Manager–Business Development Dede Mickelson adds, “Mary Blazer’s retirement is bittersweet for me. I am excited for her to begin retirement and enjoy spending more time with her husband and family, but I will especially miss her creative ideas and wit. Mary was not only a trusted professional teller to our customers, but also a truly enjoyable member of our team.“