Kennett Square resident John Unangst, the President and CEO of Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, has died at the age of 71.

“The board of directors, management team, and employees are extremely saddened by this unexpected news,” said Patrick Killian, Commerce Director of Delaware County and FMFCU’s chairman of the board. “His exemplary leadership, unwavering dedication to FMFCU and the credit union movement, and community contributions were a lifelong inspiration to others.”

Unangst joined FMFCU in 1976 to lead what was then a three-person organization with one branch and assets of less than $1 million. In 1985, he assumed the reins as CEO, and under his leadership, FMFCU has grown into a full-service financial institution with 85,000 active members, 40 branches, and more than $1 billion in assets.

Only five percent of all credit unions are over the $1 billion threshold.

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In 2017, Unangst was named CEO of the Year among credit unions with at least $250 million in assets by the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions.

Last August, FMFCU, the largest financial institution headquartered in Delaware County, moved its base of operations from Broomall to Chadds Ford.

One of Unangst’s greatest accomplishments was realized in 2012 when he sought and was granted permission to use the iconic Berenstain Bears in conjunction with financial literacy. FMFCU’s partnership, Berenstain Enterprises, led to the construction of Bear Country Credit Union, an 1,100-square-foot financial literacy center nestled behind FMFCU’s Broomall branch.

The development of The Berenstain Bears Financial Literacy Program soon followed, and Unangst commissioned Mike Berenstain to write and illustrate The Berenstain Bears Visit the Credit Union, a title that has become the signature component of the early childhood educational program.

Prior to joining FMFCU, Unangst spent three years as a member of the U.S. Army. As a Captain serving in Vietnam, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal for Valor, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Penn State.

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