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Medera happy to lend a hand
Doug Flanagan/Post-Register
Bertha Medera certainly didn’t want to get carpal tunnel syndrome in her hands as a result of her job as a potato sorter at ConAgra Foods/Lamb Weston.
“I had to have surgery on both hands,” she said. “My arm fell asleep at work, and just went numb. I had to pick it up with the other arm.”
But with that unfortunate prognosis eventually came an opportunity for Medera to allow her people skills to shine in an environment that she’s totally comfortable in and happy with.
For the past 11 years, Medera has worked as a teller at Quincy’s Bank of America branch.
For the previous 10 years, she worked at ConAgra, but after her condition was discovered, she started to explore other career options.
Being a natural ‘people person’ who had always had an interest in working with money, Medera signed up to take a teller class in Fife, and soon after she was hired at Bank of America.
“I love it,” she said. “My favorite part of the job is the people. I like to help the people. I like to be around the people. I know a lot of people that I see around town that I know from work. It’s rewarding. I love the interaction.
“It’s a good feeling to be there for the community, to help. Things definitely worked out for the best; I love working at the bank.”
Medera was born and raised in Moses Lake and moved to Quincy in 1982 with her new husband.
At first she wasn’t sure about moving to a smaller town, but now she can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“At first I wasn’t sure,” she said. “I missed Moses Lake. But I got used (to Quincy). Whenever I go to Moses Lake to visit my parents and family, I’m always eager to get back home to Quincy.”
Medera is the mother to three sons who all live in the area — Carlos Jr., 26; Josue, 23; and Roberto, 18.
She’s also recently become a grandmother.
“My sons got married exactly a year and 11 months apart,” she said. “Now I’ve got two daughters-in-law and a grandaughter. They’re all in the area, which is nice.”
Medera likes to keep busy when she’s not working, and thanks to her natural people skills, it’s only fitting that she takes an active role in her church, St.Pius X Catholic.
“I help the church with a variety of activities,” she said. “I just like to help out any way I can. I’ve always been involved in the church. My mother and father came from large families.”
Medera is also a big fan of Tex-Mex music, and can often be seen hitting a dance floor in Moses Lake for ‘tejano nights.’
“It’s in between Mexican and country music,” she said. “Since my parents grew up in Texas, we were always listening to it.”
