WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), a strong supporter of credit unions, died Wednesday evening, a day after suffering a brain aneurysm while driving in her Cleveland district.

Tubbs Jones, a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, was a co-sponsor of the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (H.R. 1537) and has backed several other measures of importance to credit unions. She had personal experience with the movement as one of the founders of the Bethany Baptist Church Credit Union at the congregation on Cleveland's East Side where she worshiped her entire life. The credit union has since merged with Antioch Credit Union.

Tubbs Jones, the first African American female to represent Ohio in Congress, was an advocate of expanding the availability of affordable housing and often lauded credit unions for their work in this area. She was a former prosecutor and judge and has served in Congress since 1999. She was 58 years old.