Longtime Bank of Jamestown Teller Supervisor and Asst. Vice President Sue Ann Popplewell is retiring next week after 32 years with the financial institution where she trained dozens of new employees, waited on countless customers and oversaw numerous technological transitions.

"It feels good to finally be retiring," Popplewell said, who said she began seriously thinking about retiring just last year. "But you really feel a part of it, so I think I will miss it. I'll probably never pass by without glancing over."

She began work at the bank in April of 1979, first working at the main office on the square in Jamestown for five years before starting at the Industrial Park branch when it opened in 1985.

"I always thought I'd like to work at the Bank of Jamestown," she said. "After I got married we moved to Louisville I got a job at a bank in Louisville for a short period of time and when we came back home what I wanted to do most of all was work at the Bank of Jamestown and after a couple of years I got a job here."

Through the more than three decades of service to the bank and to the community, Popplewell said she will miss her daily interactions with customers the most.

"That's one thing I'll miss is seeing the people," she said. She also said she'd miss her peers at the bank as she has worked alongside many of them for many years.

Over the years her duties have stayed relatively the same: waiting on the customer, opening new accounts, being responsible for vault procedures, training employees and other tasks.

But the job has been a rewarding one for Popplewell, as she said she wouldn't change a single thing about her profession.

"I've enjoyed every bit of it," she said.

One of the main changes Popplewell has witnessed has been in the field of technology. She recalled when the bank first began using computers and it hasn't stopped since, even mentioning the introduction of the ATM machine and online banking to the community as key moments during her tenure.

"It has all gone pretty smooth," she said of each transition. While there were a few hiccups along the way, Popplewell helped to make sure that each transition was a fluid as could be for all tellers under her care.

Through her years at the bank, she said three individuals have worked closely with her during her time there.

Former BOJ head teller Sue Skaggs, current head teller Patti Lamb and Susan Holder in bookkeeping have been instrumental in helping Popplewell with anything she ever needed.

"If I ever had questions I could go to one of those three," she said. "They were always a big help."

This Tuesday, July 12, folks can visit Sue at the Industrial Park branch from noon until 3 p.m. at a reception in her honor. The reception will have refreshments and allow customers and fellow employees the chance to say goodbye on her final day at the bank.

Sue is married to Doyle Popplewell and they have one son, Craig, and a daughter-in-law Stefanie, as well as one granddaughter, Harper, whose nine years old.

She said two main reasons for retiring were to spend more time with her parents, Ed and Evelyn McFall, as well as her granddaughter.

Popplewell also said she also plans on reading a few good books and playing the piano a bit more with her new found time, let's hope she enjoys every minute of it.