Until We Meet Again – Mourning the Loss of Pat Wesenberg
By Gigi Hyland, Executive Director at the National Credit Union Foundation
There are people who come into your life who are full of light. They emanate grace, joy, positivity and good. People who exude empathy, compassion and have the ability to speak with you like you are the only person in the room.
Pat Wesenberg was such a person.
As a credit union professional, she led Simplicity Credit Union with passion and focus, always putting member service at the heart of her work. She mentored dozens of us to gently be the best leaders we could be.
She became a Credit Union Development Educator (or DE) in 2007 and she embraced it through and through., serving as a steadfast advocate, promoter and believer in the program. Pat volunteered her time year after year serving as a mentor for the DE Program, cultivating and guiding credit union professionals to help them really understand the credit union difference. She was also a I-CUDE (International Credit Union Development Educator) through her involvement in European DE (DEEU) and Africa DE and spent time overseas on a variety of projects to foster cooperative finance and tackle development issues that act as barriers to the well-being and prosperity of communities.
She served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for 5 years, 2 of those years as our Vice Chair. Her wisdom, guidance and belief in our mission helped craft who and what we are as an organization to this day.
She had friends around the nation and the globe – all of us who were drawn to her “can do” spirit, grace and kindness. She was a beloved earthbound angel if you will. Not to say she didn’t have a wicked sense of humor! Pat was a keen observer of people. When she chose to speak, she did so with the tiniest trace of a smile as if she was hearing a joyful tune at a decibel that the rest of us couldn’t quite pick up.
To know Pat was to love her, and the Foundation is filled with gratitude for all her talents and time that she shared with us. I am a great believer that love never dies and that we will eventually be with those we love again. Farewell, dear friend. Until we meet again…
Read the tribute from Simplicity Credit Union here. Image courtesy of Simplicity Credit Union.