After more than five decades in banking, South Shore Bank President Paul Pecci will retire at the end of the month.

Pecci was the president and CEO of Braintree Cooperative Bank until it was acquired by South Shore Bank in July of 2017 when the Mashpee native assumed the role of president of the combined entity.

He has spent the last year and a half working with CEO James Dunphy to ensure the merger between South Shore Bank and Braintree Cooperative Bank was successfully completed.

“I could not be happier with the way the two banks have come together. We have met and exceeded the expectations that Jim and I had when we first began talking about joining the two banks together,” Pecci said in a statement. “Financially, technologically and from a customer service and product offering point of view – it was the best decision we could have made. I am thrilled with the way everything has turned out, and I am confident in Jim’s ability to lead a successful bank into the future.”

Pecci has spent a lifetime working in community banking, starting his career at the age of 14. His first job was working as a stock boy at Brighton Cooperative Bank, advancing during nine years to teller, bookkeeper and then internal auditor.

He then spent the next 11 years at Walpole Cooperative Bank, serving as treasurer and executive vice president before coming to Braintree Cooperative Bank in 1989. Pecci first held the role of treasurer before progressing to become president and CEO for five years.

Pecci will now move from his position in day-to-day operations of South Shore Bank, into a governance role. He will continue to serve on the board of directors and on various committees, while promoting the bank in communities on the South Shore.

“I want to thank Paul for his hard work and dedication to South Shore Bank, and for all of his contributions to the banking industry in Massachusetts during the past 51-years,” Dunphy said in a statement. “I always admired Paul’s work in the Braintree community, and it has been a pleasure working alongside him for the past year and a half.”

Pecci is now looking forward to his next journey: traveling with his wife Eileen, spending more quality time with his four children, while also writing, painting and gardening. He will also continue to follow the success of South Shore Bank.

“Since 1968 I have seen tremendous highs and lows in the economy and in the banking world,” Pecci said. “I have learned many life-lessons which have helped me navigate my own course in life. It has been a wonderful life, so far.”