PeopleFirstBank organizer dies

JOLIET -- One of the organizers of the PeopleFirstBank has died.

Pat Avendt, 49, of Frankfort, died Oct. 18. Services have been held.

PeopleFirstBank was organized in January 2007. It has locations in Joliet and Shorewood.

Avendt served as a director, president and chief executive officer.

His banking career spanned more than 20 years and included management positions at Northern Trust Co. and Harris Bank. A Michigan native, he was a graduate of DePaul University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics, and of the University of Wisconsin's Graduate School of Banking.

Avendt also served his community as a sworn part-time police officer in Tinley Park and was a champion for the elderly, conducting presentations that helped seniors avoid unscrupulous business people.

He volunteered at St. George School, The Police Crime Prevention Commission and many arts organizations.

For more than a decade he served as a Scoutmaster, starting with Boy Scout Troop 911, mentoring adult scouting programs, and becoming a member of the Order Of the Arrow.