Rooted in Arbor: The vanWestrienen Family Legacy

For Paw Paw resident Kathy McCloskey, Arbor Financial Credit Union is more than a workplace; it’s part of her family’s story. Living less than a mile from Arbor’s Paw Paw branch, Kathy represents generations of dedication to the credit union and to the communities we serve.

Her connection begins with her grandfather, Henry vanWestrienen, one of Arbor’s nine founding members. In the early days, Arbor’s charter served only Kalamazoo County teachers. As Kathy recalls, “It was teachers helping teachers and the country coming together after the depression. If you asked him for help, you got it.” That spirit of generosity and community laid the foundation for Arbor’s purpose that continues today.

The next chapter came from her father, Jim vanWestrienen. Living in Van Buren County, Jim and his neighbors couldn’t join under the original charter despite being teachers. He raised the question with then Board Member Jim Fettrolf about expanding membership. That conversation led to the very first expansion of Arbor’s charter; opening eligibility to Van Buren County. It was a historic milestone that set the stage for Arbor to keep expanding and serving more communities across Southwest Michigan. Today, Arbor's charter stretches to all of Michigan allowing members from all over the state to be a part of our community.

Kathy’s mother, Donna vanWestrienen, carried that legacy of leadership even further, serving on Arbor’s Board of Directors from 1977-2000 (23 years). Through decades of growth and change, Donna helped guide Arbor with a steady commitment to putting members and staff first.

Today, Kathy continues the tradition as part of Arbor’s team, and her own son is now a proud fourth-generation member of Arbor. For Kathy, this is more than a career, it’s a way to honor her family’s lasting contributions and ensure that the values of service and community carry forward to the next generation.

"I grew up hearing how my grandfather helped start Arbor, how my dad sparked the first charter expansion, and how my mom dedicated so many years on the Board," Kathy reflects. "I think my grandfather would be so proud of how we’ve grown from starting with $45 in assets to what we have now at over $900,000,000, and that we’ve kept the core values of helping people and doing the right thing at the center of our business model."

As Arbor celebrates 90 years, the vanWestrienen family’s story is a powerful reminder that our credit union was built on vision, generosity, and the belief in people helping people, a tradition that continues through every generation.