Guest Posts on County 10 are provided by contributors and the opinions, thoughts, and comments within are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of County 10.
People talk about making a difference. Counselors tell teenagers that they can make a difference. Advertisers sell products deceptively with the promise of “making a difference.” Mary Longtine made a difference.
For the few people in Fremont County who didn’t have their lives touched by this remarkable woman, it’s sad that you didn’t.
Perhaps you did encounter her, but didn’t realize it.
Mary was best known as the smiling, friendly gal at Smith’s that always had a booming, “Hello, how are you?” when you entered the store, and friendly conversation at the checkout aisle when you left. Only it wasn’t an ordinary hello, but almost a song from Mary with a long, drawn out, genuine…”Heelllooooo”
How, you may ask, can that make a difference.
It did.
Many people’s posture and attitude immediately changed for the better after a brief encounter with Mary. You could see it in an almost “before and after” image right in front of you. Downtrodden with cares, and concerns, a simple hello from Mary, and a little conversation and their day was brighter.
How many people can do that?
Mary never met a stranger, and her memory of people was astounding. She could engage every local customer with questions and comments about their families. Tourists and visitors were amazed by her friendly personality.
COVID 19 ended her tenure at Smith’s after a 35-year run of greeting customers, bagging their groceries, offering advice and simply being a friend.
Older folks remember Mary as the face of the Satellite Bar. She owned and operated it from 1964 to 1986.
The bar with the iconic colored glass blocks, and one of the first drive-through windows in Riverton on the east side with a corrugated metal covering was a favorite for many uranium workers after long shifts in the Gas Hills.
Legend has it that Mary at times sold holiday turkeys through the drive-through window.
Perhaps the best story about Mary’s diligence, honesty and outgoing personality came in handling checks for uranium miners.
Banks were not open on weekends while she owned the Satellite and cash only transactions were still the rule of the day in the 1960s and 70s.
Mary didn’t cash the men’s checks, but she took them after they had endorsed the check and cashed them at the bank on her daily, weekday business trips. She put each miner’s check into an envelope and counted out the cash, to the penny when they came back to the bar to pick it up.
And she did with a smile.
Mary had an eye and ear on the business community. If someone came in looking for a job, she knew someone who was hiring. The reverse was true as well. Many business owners sought out Mary to find new employees.
It may seem contradictory that a person can be outgoing and unobtrusive at the same time, but Mary was that way. She never brought attention to herself, always to the person she was speaking to.
Perhaps the biggest example of this came when the Tribal Council was in a tiff with Riverton. In a statement, the council called for a boycott of Riverton businesses with a notable exception. They asked that Smith’s not be included in the boycott in deference to their friend Mary Longtine.
How’s that for a comment on the effect one person can have on their community?
Mary is gone, but the effect she had on an entire county, and on anyone who met her will last forever.
“Hello, how are you?”
It’s a message that should reach all of us, and perhaps change our outlook on the day, just as Mary did.