Kathleen Kordek

Kathleen Kordek, longtime corporate counsel for First Virginia Banks, Inc., and later Branch Banking & Trust, died September 11, 2024 at the Ashby Ponds Senior Living Community in Ashburn, Virginia. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson's disease. She was 77. Kathleen and her husband, Thomas Bruderle, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in August.

Kathleen Ann Kordek was born in Norristown, PA, on May 4, 1947, and lived in nearby Bridgeport for the first 22 years of her life. Her mother, Pauline Kordek (née Wiskoski), worked outside of the home. Her father, Joseph Kordek, a World War II veteran, was a locomotive railroad engineer for the now defunct Alan Wood Steel Company in nearby Conshohocken.

With both parents working Kathleen was home with her maternal grandmother, Catherine (Babu) Wiskoski, who emigrated from Ukraine to the United States as a 17-year old in 1911. Since Babu spoke little English, Kathleen spoke Ukrainian for the first six years of her life (prior to starting school) visiting her grandmother's Ukrainian friends.

Kathleen attended local Catholic grade and high schools in Bridgeport and Norristown. Following graduation from Gwynedd Mercy College (now Gwynedd Mercy University) in 1969, Kathleen married Thomas Bruderle and moved to Atchison, KS, where they both held teaching positions. They also attended the University of Kansas for graduate studies where Kathleen earned her Master of Arts in Teaching.

With her degree in hand, Kathleen was eager to return home to family and friends in Pennsylvania and to begin her teaching career. Fate intervened , however, when her husband secured a prestigious internship in the executive branch of the federal government. They compromised. Kathleen remained in Pennsylvania while Thomas worked in Washington, DC and commuted on weekends. One year later they moved to Virginia where Kathleen continued her teaching career and her husband began a career with member-based associations and professional societies.

For many years Kathleen harbored thoughts of law school and, while enjoying teaching English and creative writing in the Northern Virginia Community College system, and living in Alexandria, VA, she took the law school admission test. She scored well and was admitted to the George Mason University School of Law (now the Antonin Scalia Law School) on a part-time basis - with two children under the age of five. Two years later she switched to full-time status.

An exceptional student in law school, Kathleen had a research assistantship with a professor, served on law review as notes editor and held an externship with an Arlington law firm. Upon graduation in 1983 she took a position with Williams Industries, Inc., a steel erection company in Fairfax, VA, as in-house counsel.

Williams Industries was a stepping-stone to an offer from First Virginia Banks, Inc., which began her 30-year career in financial services. She continued as associate general counsel and was appointed senior vice president when First Virginia was acquired by BB&T and retired in 2016.

Beyond her career in corporate banking, Kathleen gave of herself to her family and the world around her in equal measure.

She was an adjunct professor at her law school alma mater, enjoying teaching and interacting with her students, and regularly received strong reviews. She reserved time to advise clients as a volunteer in the Fairfax County Bar Association's pro bono clinic. Kathleen was committed to encouraging women interested in going to law school, often providing her phone number, for use at any hour, should they experience a crisis of confidence or criticism.

She also taught English as a second language at St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA, to immigrant students who were working toward United States citizenship. She found great delight when they became citizens.

Kathleen was also an avid back porch gardener, growing herbs and spices in half barrels and buckets. She loved to cook and, with a colleague, prepared a gourmet cook book that brought together members of the Oakton Vale Club to enjoy foods they would not have otherwise prepared and sampled.

A voracious reader and defender of English usage and grammar, she took joy in the well-turned word or phrase while bristling at the language's misuse.

Kathleen is survived by Thomas, her husband of 55 years; her son Matthew and his partner Jeevan Padiyar; and her son David, his wife Megan McGregor and their son Duncan McGregor Bruderle.

Other survivors include her brothers Keith, Stanley (Stash) and Richard; and her three nieces, daughters of her sister-in-law Elizabeth Kordek. Additional surviving family members include her Aunt Viola Wiskoski; her cousins Joanne and her husband Scott Graham and their three children, John and his wife Julia, and Rob; another cousin Barbara and her husband Fred Szablewski and their two children, Jessica and her husband Joseph Cirillo, and their two children; and Andy Panish and his wife Lian and their three children. She is predeceased by her brother Mark.

A memorial mass was held at St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA on September 27. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a scholarship in Kathleen's name for women with need at Gwynedd Mercy University in Gwynedd Valley, PA. For online memorial contributions, click here for Gwynedd Mercy University's donation form and select "The Kathleen A. Kordek '69 Endowed Women's Leadership Scholarship" in the dropdown menu. Or mail a check payable to Gwynedd Mercy University, with "In memory of Kathleen Kordek '69" on the memo line, to:

Gwynedd Mercy University
Office of University Advancement
1325 Sumneytown Pike
P.O. Box 901
Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0901