Joy Keely Will Retire This Week
Joy Keely didn’t win the lottery but she has the demeanor of someone who did. That’s because she’s wrapping up a career that she has loved to pursue an exciting new stage in life. Joy will retire Friday after more than 25 years with VCNB.
Joy didn’t set out to be a banker. The Lancaster native was living in Akron when she got her start as a teller. The stay-at-home mom had two young kids and was babysitting other children in her home when a teller at her bank asked if Joy had ever considered being a teller. “She said it was a great job. You don’t have to worry about nights or most of the weekend and you get holidays off.”
So she applied and ended up in an office so busy there was hardly time to train a new employee. “They just threw me out there and showed me what to do.”
Turns out, it was a perfect fit.
The next several years brought change to Joy’s life. Divorce, single parenthood, moves and marriage defined the next stage of her life. Aptly named Joy, she has a curiosity about the world, a desire to explore and a joy about her life view. Even as a single parent, she prioritized taking her kids on adventures both near and far, instilling in them a similar love for travel.
Eventually, she and her second husband Bill found their way back to their hometown. The pair were both from Lancaster and moving home to be near family made sense. That bank she worked at in Akron had a branch in town so she was able to resume working with a bank where she knew the systems. That is, until that bank was sold to another one in town and she said it was like starting over.
Along the way, Joy encountered a young woman named Annamarie Beiter who was summer help at her bank. The two struck up a friendship that would play an important role a few years down the road. By then, Annamarie Qualls was married and was in HR at Friendly Bremen Bank. “She saw Bill one night and said to ‘tell Joy to give me a call if she ever needs a job. We would love to have her.’ And that’s how I ended up here,” she exclaimed.
Customers will remember Joy as a teller at both of our Lancaster locations. Most recently she has been the Assistant Branch Manager at our West Fair location. “I really like what I do and we have a great group of people here. Everyone has either been with the bank for a long time or they have a lot of experience. It’s impressive when you think about the knowledge they have and I’m going to miss so many of them.”
Yet, Joy has a new opportunity she is enthusiastic to embrace. She will be working for her daughter and son-in-law. The couple own a successful logistics company. Consequently, they have some properties and other personal business that need managing. “They were paying other people money to not do a good job. When they needed something, my daughter knew she could always call me to go help,” Joy said.
But her daughter has a different viewpoint. “She said to me ‘Mom, no matter what, I can call you and you’re there. No questions, no judgment. You’re just there.’ And then she pointed out they pay people a lot of money to do things poorly that I do for free. So when she asked me to come work for them, it just made sense,” she said. “I think that’s what you do for your family, for your kids. You look out for each other.”
Her new gig will provide Joy with more flexible hours and time with the people who matter most – her family including her elderly mother who has dementia. Joy also hopes to spend more time outdoors and traveling. She and Bill own a house in Puerto Rico and they dream of spending winters at their remote island home.
When they married 32 years ago, Joy and Bill each brought a son and a daughter to the marriage. Now she has one grandchild and he has four.
While Joy has so much good to look forward to, she still tears up a bit when she talks about leaving her bank family behind. “I’ll miss so many of the people, especially Alice (Swearingen). She’s been my right hand and no one has been there for me like Alice.”
As she wraps up her career in banking, we asked Joy what advice she has for people entering the workforce.
“Plan ahead more than you think you need to. Retirement comes a lot of faster than you think. If there’s something you want to do in life, go do it. Don’t wait till you’re old or until circumstances are just right. Go do it now. People spend too much time concentrating on the work ahead of them and not thinking about the life that’s waiting for them. Take your vacations, go see the world, spend time with your family. Your job is your job and it’s important but it’s not your life. Never lose sight of the things and the people you love because you’re too busy making a living.”
Joy will celebrate with a luncheon for coworkers on Friday. There will also be cookies and punch for customers in the lobby at our West Fair location from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day as well.
Congratulations and best wishes Joy!