Delta Community Credit Union Mourns the Passing Of Chairman James (Jim) J. Diffley

Diffley's Exemplary Life of Leadership and Service Includes More than 60 Years of Board and Committee Support

Delta Community Credit Union is saddened to announce the passing of Jim Diffley, its longtime Chairman of the Board of Directors and a widely respected credit union advocate. Diffley died on Sept. 22 in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina at the age of 90 and surrounded by family.

Diffley's service to Delta Community spanned 62 continuous years. While employed with Delta Air Lines, he joined the Credit Committee of Delta Employees Credit Union in 1962 and volunteered on the committee until 1983 when he was named to the Board of Directors. He was first elected Chairman in 1986 and was re-elected to the role annually through a vote by his fellow directors.

"Our members and employees are indebted to Jim as his contributions to Delta Community's success are countless and lasting," said Hank Halter, Chief Executive Officer. "Jim believed deeply in the not-for-profit, people-helping-people philosophy of credit unions and worked to sustain the viability, growth and integrity of Delta Community as well as other credit unions to ensure his peers, neighbors and the broader community around him had access to trustworthy, fairly priced financial services. Jim will be greatly missed each day, but his character will inspire those who knew him for decades to come."

Diffley was actively engaged over the years with the Georgia Credit Union Affiliates (GCUA), National Credit Union Association and World Council of Credit Unions. He attended the Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. annually, including the 2024 event this past March, and participated in Hike the Hill visits to provide legislators information about credit union efforts. He was an early supporter of a 20-year cultural exchange program between credit unions in the U.S. and Poland that GCUA cultivated in the 1990s. GCUA honored Diffley with the Moses C. Davis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. 

Diffley was born in Atlanta. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1956 with a B.S. in Industrial Management and subsequently earned an M.B.A. from Georgia State University. He served in the U.S. Air Force between 1956 and 1959 and attained the rank of captain. Upon his honorable discharge from the military, he accepted a position within the Technical Operations Center at Delta Air Lines where he worked for 40 years in different managerial roles with progressive levels of responsibility.

His family will hold a memorial service at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, with Tom M. Wages Funeral Service in Snellville, Georgia that is open to friends and colleagues. A visitation will precede the service. More details are available on Delta Community's website.

Delta Community's Board will elect a new chairperson in the coming months in accordance with the Credit Union's bylaws. Linda O'Shea who serves as Vice Chairwoman today will assume additional responsibilities as warranted until then.