Sue & Gerry Reese

It’s all about family for Sue and Gerry Reese, a couple who have been members and part of the Temple Santa Fe Credit Union (TSF) family for more than 45 years.

“This is the place that when you walk in, the people know your name,” Gerry says of the couple’s decades-long relationship with TSF. “We need a brick-and-mortar bank where we feel like they are part of the family. When we need something, all we do is make the call, and we can get it done.”

Sue and Gerry joined the credit union in 1979. It was shortly after they moved to Temple for Gerry’s job with the Santa Fe Railroad – now BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe). It was natural to be part of the railroad’s “employee” financial institution. A second TSF account – mostly used by Sue – was opened in 1993.

After five years in the Navy, including service as a radioman on a guided missile destroyer, and an associate’s degree in law enforcement, Gerry was waiting to go to the highway patrol academy when he took a “temporary” job with the railroad – the third generation in his family to work for the Santa Fe line. His grandfather, father, aunt, and uncle were railroaders. His grandfather was the roadmaster in Temple, and his uncle was the assistant to the president of operations.

Gerry never looked back. He worked for the railroad for 38 years, traveling the country as a locomotive engineer. Sue worked for the Veterans Administration. “We both retired on the same day at age 60,” Gerry says.

Gerry and Sue met during freshman orientation on their first day of class at McLennan Community College. Students were separated into groups based on their last names – “Gerry Reese and Sue Rodriguez” were in the same group. They’ve been married 47 years and have two daughters and a son, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

“We’re blessed that our grandchildren spend a lot of time with us,” Gerry says. “Even though they are in their 20s, they still come to our house quite often. Our house is the center of activity.”

“It’s family. I love our family,” Sue says. And she loves the people at TSF. “I love this credit union. We’re not just members. We’re friends.”