SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Golden 1 Credit Union is mourning the loss of longtime marketer and former Senior Vice President Dave Thompson.

Thompson, who helped lead the credit union's marketing efforts for 27 years until his retirement in July 2004, passed away at the age of 71.

Since Thompson joined the credit union in 1977, The Golden 1 grew from $100 million in assets and less than 80,000 members to over $5 billion in assets and more than 550,000 members. Thompson also played key roles in the advocacy of credit unions, serving as a charter member on the Marketing Association of Credit Unions. He also served on the advisory committee for the Sacramento Valley Marketing Association.

“Dave's energy and passion for both marketing and the credit union industry played a vital role in The Golden 1 growing into California's leading credit union,” said Golden 1 President/CEO Teresa A. Halleck. “His creative vision and genius played an important role in the credit union's exponential growth between 1977 and his retirement in 2004.”