Dempsey embarks on retirement adventure

It was a neighbor that got her into banking, a friend that encouraged Martha Dempsey and her family to move to North Central Idaho and it will be co-workers, friends and customers she will miss after she retires Friday after 30 years in the financial industry.

Stop by American West Bank Friday and wish her well as she embarks on a new adventure. There will be an open house all day with refreshments beginning at 10 a.m.

For the last year and a half, Martha has been the Orofino Financial Center Manager at American West Bank. Prior to that promotion, she was operations manager.

Martha said she started working when she was 12, both helping with younger children in her family and with her parent's business. She has worked ever since and feels it is time to retire and take a break.

She got into banking when she and her husband, Keith, had four children and were living in Anguilla, MS. One of their neighbors was the vice president of the Bank of Anguilla. He asked her if she would like a summer job. She accepted and by the end of the summer there was a permanent position open and she decided to take it. Martha has been in banking ever since, except for four months right after they moved Idaho.

Keith had a college friend that first encouraged them to come to Idaho. Keith came out to visit and a few years later, the family came to visit the area. Then the friend asked Keith to come out and help build a cabin. Martha and Keith thought it was time for a change and decided they would try Idaho for a year. They loaded up their seven children and an English sheep dog and made the move, settling in Peck for a few years. The cabin never got built, but Martha ended up going to work for Idaho First National Bank at the Riverside branch.

When she started in banking, the work was done manually. Martha said they had a bundle of check that had to be alphabetized and then put on the customers' statements. Those had to balance with the ledger sheets they kept. She found that satisfying because it was easier to find any mistakes, but she is also proud of the progress that has been made in the technology used in the banking industry. Customers have options at American West Bank with new technology. They can come in and get personalized service or they can do their banking online.

Bank mergers are another change she has seen a lot over the years. Idaho First National started buying banks in other states, so they changed their name to West One. Martha said it was a good bank because it was small enough to give people personal service and also the latest technology at that time. Eventually, West One merged with US Bank and due to changes in policies, Martha and many of her co-workers left for Bank of Latah. Later, Bank of Latah was bought out by American West Bank. The larger bank can offer people more options because they have more branches and technology options.

She is proud of the people she works with because they take good care things while she is gone and she does not have to worry. Martha said that you give people the tools and support they need and there is not anything they cannot do. The staff is able to have fun and convey that to the customers while staying professional.

Martha said she will never forget when she first became a teller in Anguilla. She was really scared and had the person training her standing beside her. A customer came into the bank and she whispered to the trainer asking her what to do. The trainer said, "You could say good morning." Martha started laughing.

Martha will miss her co-workers, especially those she has associated with for a long time like Angie Snyder and Carol Adams. She is looking forward to not having to get up and get ready to go to work. She will have more options to go shopping, visit grandchildren or catch up on projects at home. She is really looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren who range in age from 3 months to 19 years old. Most of them live in the Northwest, but three live in the southern U.S. She hopes to bring some of those that live closer to home for a week so they can spend time together.

She looks forward to traveling more with her husband who likes to take weekend trips. Martha also likes to read and wants to do more of that.

Photo: Martha Dempsey