Aloha, Mikey

WHEN YOU WORK with someone for nearly two decades, it’s hard to imagine him not being in the office anymore. When our Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Manager Michael Leach announced his retirement a few months ago, I immediately assumed the Cleopatra persona and became “Queen of Denial”. No way! Michael is not going anywhere! What are we going to do without him?

Michael Leach was hired by the Hawaii Credit Union League in late 1990, just a few months after I came on board. In the beginning, Michael was a conundrum to me—so intelligent, so insightful, yet so confusing that at times I had to take a break from his lengthy musing just to decipher the message. Some of us would jokingly tell Michael to “land the plane!” when his spoken thoughts would endlessly “circle the airport”.

He was such a good sport and took it all in stride. We all loved his self-deprecating humor. Recently I overheard him take the blame for something that wasn’t his fault. I gently chided him for bearing this unfounded guilt, to which he quipped, “I’m a Catholic and a male—I can’t help it!” I nearly fell off my chair laughing. That was just so Michael!

My favorite Michael story happened over a decade ago when he showed up at the office with three very tiny kittens. The mama cat abandoned the kittens and Michael, hearing their faint cries, came to their rescue. I vividly remember my co-workers taking turns bottle feeding those little kittens in Michael’s office. Of course, the cats became a part of Michael’s family. More recently, Michael stopped his car on a busy street to rescue a kitten in danger of becoming road kill. That cat, too, is now part of Michael’s household.

As head of the Hawaii Credit Union League’s governmental affairs effort, Michael could navigate the often murky waters of the political arena, whether it was at the state Capitol or in our nation’s Capitol. His analytical mind could make sense of convoluted legislation and his diplomacy allowed him to deal with myriad egos and personalities. Like a good shepherd, Michael took excellent care of the Hawaii credit union representatives who made the annual trek to Washington D.C. for the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). When I made my first visit to D.C. for the 2008 CUNA GAC, I felt very secure knowing I could just follow Michael around unfamiliar airports and the D.C. metro system and get to our destination safely.

Those of us who knew Michael personally saw a devoted husband, son, nephew, and friend. For a time, Michael took care of his elderly aunt and uncle—taking them to doctor appointments and on trips to the mainland to visit relatives. In recent years, Michael has spent his time outside of the office caring for his ailing mother, which was a big part of his decision to retire. Though intellectually we knew caring for his mom full-time was the right thing to do, we selfishly wanted to keep him here.

League staff, along with retired staff and friends celebrated Michael’s 60th birthday on July 20 with a birthday/retirement office party. After gorging ourselves on a wonderful array of mostly homemade dishes, I expected Michael to “circle the airport” with a long farewell speech. It wasn’t that I minded so much, but I didn’t want to end up a teary-eyed mess with raccoon eyes and a red nose. To my surprise, Michael kept it brief with a simple, heartfelt thank-you to everyone. I think it then dawned on all of us that, after nearly 20 years, Michael finally “landed the plane” and was about to embark on a whole new journey. He will surely be missed.