O'Fallon, Robinson announce retirement from Mountain West Bank

After 38 years in the financial business Skip O’Fallon, president of the Bonners Ferry branch of  Mountain West Bank, celebrated his last day on the job Friday and is now retired.

He started with First Interstate Bank and then it changed to  Wells Fargo and then Mountain West Bank.

“One of my mentors told me once, that when I retire make sure I do it early enough in life to do what I want to do,” said O’Fallon.

Good advice and O’Fallon has taken it to heart. He will be traveling, gardening, woodworking crafting unique bird houses and bat houses, yes bat houses, and taking road trips on his Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife Linda.

O’Fallon has been asked to make bat houses for the purpose of having bats around to deflate mosquito population. They can eat thousands of mosquitos in one night. People can hang up a few bat houses in the trees around the home and be mosquito free or close to it.   Not a bad idea for North Idaho.

O’Fallon and his wife have back stage passes at the San Diego Zoo where he hopes to put his head to a bengal tiger’s chest and hear it breathe. His wife wants to hold a koala bear.  This after swimming with the sea lions and dolphins at Sea World.

“I pretty much know what I want to do and now I have the time to do it,” O’Fallon said.

O’Fallon has served Boundary County for many years, as Chamber of Commerce president in 1990, and served the Kiwannis group for eight years until  slowed down eventually breaking up. 

What many already know and some may not know is that O’Fallon is the firework guru for Boundary County’s fireworks show every Fourth of July.

  The event is sponsored by Mountain West Bank and by donations from community members and businesses. He will be passing the torch to someone interested in taking the lead on this event.

“It was a family thing, I had my kids and their spouses to help out and now they have their own families and it is harder to travel,” O’Fallon said.  “I have one volunteer,  Allen Hamilton who would like to continue to help with the show but I need to find someone who has the time to put all the work into preparing for it.”

O’Fallon said anyone who is interested and licensed and permitted through the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms can call Mountain West Bank at 267-3102.  They will get the message to O’Fallon.

“I’ll give them all the info to get it going,” O’Fallon said.

Customers and friends need not worry O’Fallon and his wife are not planning on moving out of Bonners Ferry.  They have been in Bonners Ferry for 22 years and have lived  a lot of different places on the West Coast, but he said nothing compares to Bonners Ferry.

O’Fallon said you can see anything you want here, the people are friendly and watch out for each other and it has all four seasons. 

“There is no way we are going to give up our base here,” he said. “I will miss my customers and the people that I have developed relationshisp with.” “I will always remember the people.”

 An announcement of O’Fallon’s replacement will be made at a later date, O’Fallon said he hopes   his successor  will be someone local.

Lila Robinson

Also retiring Friday from the Bonners Ferry branch of Mountain West Bank was customer service representative Lila Robinson.  A 21-year veteran of the banking business she started when the bank transitioned from First Interstate to  Wells Fargo and finally Mountain West Bank.

Robinson spent her time working the drive-up teller at the bank and said she will miss seeing her customers both people and animal alike.

I am going to miss the customers and co-workers I really am,” said Robinson.  “Also all the dogs and cats that come to the drive through for their cookies.”

Robinson said she  looks forward to spending time with her husband Jim Thompson who is a custodian at Boundary County court house.

The couple has lived in Bonners Ferry since 1984.

Robinson will be spending time catching up on things at home and seeing her family.  She also enjoys art and will be doing projects as well and gardening.

“I will be coming into the bank every Wednesday to take care of the plants because everyone else said they will kill them if I don’t,” Robinson said.

Skip O’Fallon said Robinson has quite the green thumb and has managed to keep the plants alive for year  and not only alive flourishing.