John Patrick Berdes

John Berdes, president and CEO of Craft3, an unconventional lending institution, died Sunday, June 12, 2016 of lung cancer. He lived in Seattle and was 58. John joined Craft3 - then called ShoreBank Enterprise Pacific in 1995, six months after the nonprofit was created. Craft3 is a community development financial institution that provides loans and other assistance to people and businesses that may not have access to traditional financing. Previously, John was a community coordinator for the Capitol Hill Community Council in Seattle, the founding executive director of Capitol Hill Housing, and senior program director for the Local Initiatives Support Corp. He lived in Astoria, Oregon for many years. Born in Neenah, Wisconsin, John was the son of George R. and Jane L. Berdes. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Bethesda, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies from Oberlin College in Ohio. He is survived by his sisters, Celia Berdes with her daughter Renata and son Simon, Beth Berdes with her daughter Megan (David) Costello, and Madelyn Golliher with her husband Carlos, as well as many other relatives and family friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his long-time partner, Jim Reichert.