As of November 30th, my dad is officially retired.

After 29 years of service to Toyota, he’s moved on to a life at home with my mom and gearing up for grandparentness.

Toyota’s the kind of company where you can bounce around within departments if you ever feel like moving on to something more challenging or different. My dad did a lot there over nearly three decades. He started as a regional manager in New Jersey back in the 70s, then got transferred out to California (Torrance!) in the 80s to work at Toyota’s US headquarters. Towards the end of his career he was in charge of Toyota’s national truck advertising, and finally spent the past few years as the president and CEO of the Toyota Federal Credit Union.

He had been pondering retirement a while back when Toyota decided to cut expenses by severing support for anything not directly related to the production of cars. Several departments in Torrance were axed, and the credit union was unfortunately included. My dad’s final job was to find a suitable credit union to merge with, and to oversee the merger to completion.

On December 1st the Toyota Federal Credit Union ceased to be, and the merger with Western Credit Union was complete. My dad is now working as a freelance consultant with Western for a while, and after that he’s free as a bird. He can either kick it at home 24/7, keep consulting with Western if he’s needed, or he can take another consulting job with any of the other credit unions that keep calling him.

So here’s to my dad – a hard worker, a great provider, and a supportive father. He’s paid his dues, and now he gets to enjoy his golden years – financially secure, spending quality time with family, and not working.

I love you, Dad!

And Mom.

Also, Tammy.