In Memoriam: Neighborhood Credit Union’s Mike Roark

Officials with the Dallas-based Neighborhood Credit Union announced Monday that their SVP of lending and collections, Mike Roark, passed away after battling an illness. He was 65.

According to a statement from the credit union, Roark had been with Neighborhood since 2012.

“Mike Roark was an extraordinary man and leader for our credit union,” Chet Kimmell, president/CEO of Neighborhood, said. “He had a passion for adventure and helping others that was inspiring. On a personal note, Mike was a good friend. He could always make me laugh and we enjoyed challenging each other on movie and music trivia. His passing will leave a tremendous hole in our organization and his family. He will be missed immensely.”

Prior to his role at Neighborhood, Roark was a board member for the Cornerstone Credit Union League as well as chief lending officer for the $749 million Resource One Credit Union, also headquartered in Dallas.

In all, Roark served in the credit union industry since 1991 when he became assistant vice president of lending for the $1 billion, Bartlesville, Okla.-based Truity Credit Union.

In addition, he was a United States Navy Veteran and community volunteer, and had a true passion for the outdoors.

“Mike Roark has been a leader, a mentor and a great friend to me for many years,” Kenny Cooper, vice president of lending at Neighborhood, said. “I will miss his sense of humor. We laughed at everything. I will miss how he challenged me. We didn’t always agree, but he would always listen to me. I learned more from him than I can put into words. I’m sad that we’ve now had our last talks about work, sports, hiking, cars (heavy duty 4×4 vehicles) or just life in general. He will be deeply missed.”

In remembrance of Roark and his passion for the environment, Neighborhood stated it is making a donation to the Texas Trees Foundation in his name.

Roark is survived by his wife, his adult children and their families, according to the credit union.