Rooted in Our History, Growing with Our Future

When Bailee applied for a Member Service Representative position at Crane Credit Union, she was looking for a job that felt steady and offered the balance she needed to raise a family. What she didn’t know was that decades earlier, her great-grandmother had sat behind a similar counter, building relationships in the very institution she was about to join.

Edith, Bailee’s great-grandmother, wore many hats throughout her life. After her husband passed away, the mother of nine needed a job that offered flexibility and stability. The factory position she held at the time wasn’t what she was looking for long term. So, when she saw an opening at Crane U.S. Naval Depot Employees Federal Credit Union, she decided to take a leap and join the team.

At the time, Edith had no idea how much the credit union would come to mean to her and her family. She simply saw it as a job that met her immediate needs. But from her very first day, she began leaving her mark on members’ lives. She is remembered as a positive, cheerful presence, someone you could count on to greet you with a smile while logging your transactions. Although services were limited in those early years to basic loans and checking and savings shares, members knew Edith would gladly help however she could.

Bailee and her grandpa, Don, recently sat down with us to talk about their family’s deep roots in the credit union and how beloved Edith was within the organization. Don shared that Crane Credit Union left a lasting impression on her. Of all the jobs she held, it was her favorite.

“People would line up at her window even if there were other tellers available,” he recalled. “They were willing to wait just so they could talk with her.”

When asked what it means to join the same organization as her great-grandmother, Bailee smiled and said, “It’s a big role to live up to, but it’s cool.”

Although she was young when Edith passed away, her family has done a wonderful job keeping her memory alive. Bailee shared that there are still members who walk into her branch in Linton today who remember Edith and tell stories about her.

“It’s so fun to be following in her legacy,” she said.

The credit union has seen many changes since Edith first started in 1972. Over the years, the name has shortened, membership has expanded beyond military employees, and technology has reshaped how members manage their finances. Don remembers when the credit union operated out of an unused building on the base. Now, he does most of his banking online.

“It’s a whole different world,” he laughed.

Despite all the growth and change, the heart of Crane Credit Union has remained the same.

“It’s still a family unit,” Don said. “Several of our family members are still CCU members.”

He shared that even as the credit union has grown, he can still walk into his local branch and be greeted by name. The values that mattered to Edith decades ago: kindness, service, and genuine care for people, are the same ones he and his family still see reflected today.

One of the lessons Don remembers most from Edith’s time at the credit union is simple but powerful: “They were as good to her as she was to them.”

He explained that the credit union helped Edith establish a retirement account at a time when she wasn’t sure how or where to start saving. They recognized her personal needs and supported her in planning for the future. In return, she gave her best every day, showing up with a smile, ready to help, and eager to listen to the stories members shared at her window.

Stories like Edith’s and Bailee’s remind us that a credit union is more than a place to deposit checks or apply for loans. It is a place where relationships grow, where families build trust over generations, and where your financial institution is deeply rooted in the community.

We are honored to be part of those stories. Seeing one family’s legacy come full circle, from Edith’s teller window decades ago to Bailee’s today, is a powerful reminder of the reasons behind our work and the people we serve. Watch the full interview with Bailee and her grandfather, Don, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKq63FLcK5o.