Obituaries

John D. "Jerry" Hawke had already established himself as a preeminent banking lawyer when he took the helm of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in 1998. Hawke, who died Monday, ran the agency for six years and issued a controversial regulation shielding national banks from state regulatory oversight.

Stopera retired in 2019 after 39 years at Capital Communications Federal Credit Union in Albany, New York. In 2003, the credit union founded the CAP COM Cares Foundation, which donated about $4 million and over 30,000 volunteer hours to families in the region.

Calvin Philips led the credit union – which today operates as Neighborhood CU – from 1958 until he retired in 1988, and remained active on its board long after his retirement.

Rex Johnson, who helped found the New Jersey credit union in 1980, was 77.

Patricia Wesenberg spent more than two decades at the Wisconsin-based institution. She retired in October to deal with health issues.

The industry legend turned around a struggling Minneapolis company and even escaped a kidnapping to build the firm that is now the nation’s fifth-largest bank.

Kathleen Bierlein Yancer served the Michigan-based institution for more than 30 years before retiring in 2003.

Brian McVeigh passed away on Dec. 31, following a 14-month battle with brain cancer, according to a release from the Michigan Credit Union League, having spent more than 35 years serving in a variety of roles at CUs across the state.

Irene Oberbauer spent 12 years in the credit union movement and was SDCCU's first female CEO, serving from 2007 until her retirement in 2010.

The Maryland Democrat served five terms in the U.S. Senate, a 30-year tenure in which he was chairman of the Senate Banking Committee when it responded to a rash of accounting scandals. He didn’t seek a sixth term and retired on Jan. 3, 2007.

Dale Owen began his career at the Bettendorf, Iowa-based institution in 1999 and took over as chief executive in 2013.

The Iowa Republican followed one term in the Senate with six years as chairman of the credit union regulator.

Kathie Kasper spent 24 years at the Livermore, Calif.-based institution, having started as a teller in 1976 and ultimately rising to the level of chief executive.

Haegelin spent several decades in the credit union movement, including helping found the nonprofit Credit Unions for Kids.

Wallace Watanabe spent more than 40 years at the Honolulu-based credit union, including serving as CEO from 1992 until his retirement in 2013.

He co-founded California Rural Legal Assistance, Public Advocates and the Greenlining Institute.

Hofts spent more than three decades serving the credit union movement across multiple states, including as CEO of the Kansas CU League.

Zamberlan spent more than four decades in the industry before retiring in 2012.

Meyer was credited with guiding the Cleveland company through the financial crisis and returning it to profitability. He died this week at his home in Florida.

Lauck, who joined the nonprofit in 2011, led the organization during an era that solidified it as the credit union movement’s philanthropic partner of choice.