Butts retires after 15 years at FSB

KateLynn Slaamot
NLJ Correspondent
 
“I loved the people I worked with,” Martha Butts said. “We were family.” 
Butts retired on Dec. 16 after 15 years with the First State Bank, where she worked as a teller. Her retirement also ended a total of 25 years in banking. 
Butts said that she worked with amazing people, and she will miss seeing them each day. She also said that her customers always made her day, and she got to know many of them. 
“I am really going to miss my customers and my coworkers,” Butts said. 
Throughout her years with the bank, Butts said, she has witnessed many changes and people have come and gone. 
Butts said she learned a lot of things on the job, and she taught herself how to use the 10-key calculator. Butts said she has also learned how to better handle money. 
“I’ve learned a lot about finances,” Butts said. 
Deb Sewell, Butts’ supervisor at the bank, said that Butts is thorough and hardworking. Butts loved working and was accustomed to working eight hours and more each day. Sewell said that she was always ready to work and was willing to do whatever she was asked to do. 
According to Sewell, Butts was the assistant head teller for many years, and she was also the teller trainer for a long time. Even though training new tellers can be a stressful job because of the responsibility, Sewell said, Butts always enjoyed helping new tellers learn the trade. 
Butts is loved by all at the bank, and she was always positive and could make people laugh with her delightful sense of humor, Sewell said. 
“Everybody loves Martha,” Sewell said. 
Butts not only had a good relationship with her coworkers, she was also appreciated by customers. Sewell said many customers who were Butts’ customers waited in line for her exclusively. Her customers enjoyed visiting with her while also getting business done. 
Co-worker Tina Wilson was trained by Butts, and she has worked at the bank since 2006. Wilson and Butts visited a lot about their families and grandkids, Wilson said. They also liked to joke around, and they had a lot of “good laughs” through the years. 
“She never puts anyone down,” Wilson said.
Butts has an encouraging attitude and willingness to help and answer questions without making anyone feel inferior, she said. 
Both Sewell and Wilson said that they are sad to see Butts go, but they are also happy for her opportunity to retire.
“I miss her, but I’m glad she’s getting to retire,” Wilson said. 
Butts’ outstanding work ethic is seen by those outside of work too. Her daughter, Genie Anderson, said that her mother has always had a good work ethic and has passed it on to her children. Anderson said that Butts has taught her to be a strong person and work hard – not only in going to work but also in raising kids and life in general. 
Butts’ suggestion to others is to work hard to get anywhere in life and to find something that one enjoys. 
“You have to enjoy what you do and enjoy the people you work with,” Butts said. “That’s why I’ve enjoyed my time with First State Bank.”
While Butts is sad to leave her coworkers and customers at the bank that she has come to appreciate, she said she is also looking forward to spending more time with her family. She and her husband, Leslie, raised five kids, and they also have 11 grandkids and two great-grandchildren. 
Anderson said that Butts is involved in the Newcastle chapter of the Eastern Star, and she likes crocheting. She also enjoys watching her grandchildren’s various sporting events. 
“I hope that she will be able to spend more time concentrating on herself,” Anderson said.