Merry Justin retires next Wednesday, May 12.

With husband Tom newly retired, Pewaukee teller Merry Justin decided that after almost 12 years at North Shore Bank, “it just seemed like a good time to go” for her too.

“Merry has always been a joy to work with. She has a great sense of humor and can brighten anyone’s day,” branch manager Anne Kagerah said. “Customers love to visit with her, and they will be missing her greatly. Merry has always been committed to giving great customer service and would work through any problem to the end. We’ll be missing her too!”

Merry talked to Shorelines about her career here and what comes next.

You’ve moved around a little bit since you joined the bank, right?
Yes — I started out at Mequon as a universal banker when the branch was brand new, and I was there for about four years. Then I moved to Waukesha, and it was too much of a ride to go all the way out there, so I became a video teller for about five years. I was one of the first video tellers, which was exciting — now it feels like there are so many of them, which is also really cool. Then I decided to do a branch again, and I’ve been at Pewaukee since.

Was it a challenge to return to in-person banking after working as a video teller?
Being a video teller involves a lot of basic things. In the branch, there are a lot more questions from customers, and there’s a lot more problem-solving. So I had to get my skills back — like, Oh, wait, how do I do a wire transfer again? It was good to get the cobwebs out.

What was starting out at North Shore Bank like for you?
I had worked for First Financial in the ’90s, which got bought by Associated Bank. When I started here, I was surprised to see how many things were the same with Fiserv — the program had really improved, but I still remembered the basics after not being in banking for about 10 years, and that was a nice feeling. I trained at the Shorewood branch, which was where I had done my banking. I thought that everyone seemed so nice there, it must be a good company to work for!

What are your retirement plans right now?
We like Wisconsin — I mean, not in the winter so much, but everybody’s here, so we’re not planning any big moves. We’re heading to Destin, Florida, for a trip, but don’t have too much else planned. We want to get out, work in the garden, things like that. We may go to some festivals if they’re opening up, take advantage of the zoo being open, all that good stuff. And we have a relative who has a place up on Eagle River, so we’ll get up there more often. Otherwise — just kind of kicking back and relaxing!

What will you miss about North Shore Bank?
The camaraderie. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of different people and customers here, and I’ve had really positive experiences with all of it. I’m actually tearing up thinking about that! Last year, because of COVID, I had the opportunity to work as a video teller again, and there were still customers who knew me after I’d been gone for two years!

It’s a good feeling to have people recognize you and want you to help them. I guess I’ve just been pretty blessed all the way around. I wish I would have started working here a long time ago, instead of just 12 years ago!