Mary Lou Schlueter made the same three-block trip from home to work up Main Street in Mascoutah, Illinois, that she’d made for six decades.
But what she found inside the bank building this morning was anything but typical for the longest-tenured active associate at Regions Bank.
Waiting inside for Schlueter were: John Jordan, head of Retail; Tyler Lipe, Midwest Consumer Banking Executive; Steve Nivet, Retail Sales and Service Performance Executive; Mascoutah Branch Manager Lamont Sneed; the area’s Consumer Banking Manager Jason Reinneck; Brandon Greve, head of Regions Investment Services; and other Regions Bank executives, family and friends.
All had traveled from far and near to say “thanks” to Schlueter for her extraordinary 60 years of service to Regions and Mascoutah. She began her bank career on June 7, 1965 with a predecessor bank and has never left the location on Main Street or its generations of customers.
‘Amazed and blessed’
“I was shocked when I saw all the cars in the parking lot and thought something was going on in the neighborhood,” Schlueter said of the surprise party sprung for her.
“When I walked in and saw all these people here, I was just overwhelmed,” she said. “It was so wonderful to see people from other states and my family.
“They did a great job keeping it a secret because no one told me a thing, not even my little granddaughter who I was with for more than an hour before I got here this morning. I’m just amazed and blessed.”
Jordan said the world-class experiences Regions seeks to deliver are the natural byproduct of trusted relationships like the ones Schlueter has established with so many Mascoutah residents for so long.
“With 60 years of tenure, there’s no telling how many experiences Mary Lou has really made world class,” he said.
“The biggest predictor of a world-class experience is the tenure of the person sitting across the desk from you. That’s why it’s so important to invest in our associates so Regions is a great place to bank and to build a career.”
Surprise anniversary gift
Lipe presented Schlueter with a crystal vase etched with her name and years of service. Then it was Nivet’s turn.
“You’ve been the voice and vision for our company here for 60 years,” he told Schlueter. “We cannot thank you enough for making a difference in all the lives that you’ve touched.”
That set up the morning’s biggest anniversary gift as Reinneck and Sneed presented a $6,000 check in Schlueter’s honor to Leu Civic Center. An agency of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Leu served more than 6,200 local residents in 2024 through its education, low-cost athletics and community event programming.
“It was very much an honor to be there to see Mary Lou’s special day and all the people who came to celebrate her,” said Jenna Smith, executive director of the Leu Civic Center.
“We are so honored by the donation from Regions, and we want to, in turn, make sure that we use it to represent the impact Mary Lou has had on so many families in this community,” she said.
“We know it’s been very great over the 60 years she has spent at Regions — serving Regions and all the families that get to bank with her. We are so grateful for large donations like this. We can do a lot with a little and when we get a big one like this we can do a whole lot more.”
We are so honored by the donation from Regions, and we want to, in turn, make sure that we use it to represent the impact Mary Lou has had on so many families in this community.”
Throwback decorations
Sneed and Schlueter’s teammates worked on the sly to deck out the branch from front to back for her in 1965-themed decorations.
Visitors learned from the displays that an average home cost $21,500 in 1965, cars went for $2,650, the Beatles’ “Yesterday” hit the radio and the word “Groovy” first entered the popular lexicon.
While the times have changed, Lipe said, the importance of people like Schlueter hasn’t.
‘A community legend’
“What makes Regions what it is are associates like Mary Lou that come to work with a smile on their face that take care of the customers and are involved in the community,” Lipe said. “She’s a community legend because of what she does in the community every single day. We’re so proud to have her.”
The Mascoutah branch is one of 23 full-service branches and 29 ATMs Regions operates in Clanton, Madison, St. Clair and Washington counties. Schlueter is one of about 135 associates working in the area and among the more than 7,400 serving customers for Regions at about 1,250 banking offices.
Schlueter started working at the bank because it was close to home and allowed her to also be a mom to her two children, including serving as the classroom grade mother at their school. She increased her hours at the bank as they grew and started their own families.
‘Rock of this branch’
“I love coming to work because I like people,” Schlueter said. “I plan to keep working as long as my body and brain and Regions let me.”
Because of what Schlueter means to Mascoutah and Regions, Sneed and the branch team decided to honor her in 2022 as a “Regions Legend.” She rode in the Mascoutah Homecoming parade complete with crown, sash and corsage.
The other half of Mascoutah’s ‘Dynamic Duo’ with Schlueter on the teller line – Relationship Banker Marissa Lahey – missed Mary Lou’s parade debut three years ago due to delivering a baby.
But she wasn’t about to miss the anniversary celebration of one of her best friends.
“I don’t think I know a single person who has worked at a company as long as she has, but it’s not even just that,” Lahey said. “Mary Lou truly treats me as if I’m one of our own grandkids and loves this job like no other.
“I’m really grateful for the leaders who took the time to come out and celebrate her with us because Mary Lou truly is the rock of this branch. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would be today.”
I’m really grateful for the leaders who took the time to come out and celebrate her with us because Mary Lou truly is the rock of this branch. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would be today.
Regions Mascoutah Branch.