Nutley Woman Now Works At Same Bank As Her Mom, Grandpa

NUTLEY, NJ — Talk about a front-row seat to history.

For nearly 60 years, the McClane-Treshock family has gotten a unique perspective into Kearny Bank. It’s a place where Jennifer Treshock and her daughter, Melissa Treshock, are continuing a legacy of family employment that has now entered its third generation.

According to Kearny Bank, the Treshocks live together in Nutley, and while they work remotely on different days of the week, they also regularly carpool into the office.

The family’s relationship to Kearny Bank stretches back even further to 1967, when North Arlington resident Matthew McClane was hired by Kearny Federal Savings and Loan. At the time, the bank operated only a handful of branch locations in and around Kearny. But by 1994, McClane had been elevated to the role of president – which wasn’t always as prestigious a position as it might sound.

“He had a station wagon, and I remember him going to each branch and collecting their paper receipts,” Jennifer Treshock recalled about her father. “He’d fill up the whole back of his car, then transport them over to the main office.”

She noted that if a security or fire alarm malfunctioned at one of the branches, her father received an immediate call – even in the middle of the night. And he’d drive to whichever location was involved to ensure everything was under control.

It’s not surprising that Treshock has such clear recollection of those days – in 1995, she was hired as a teller at Kearny Bank’s Rutherford branch.

“My father could be tough on me – he never wanted anyone to think he was favoring me because I was his daughter,” she remembered. “Eventually, I had to say to him, ‘Hey – don’t overlook me for a promotion just because I’m your daughter. I deserve the same chance as everyone else.’”

It’s impossible to say whether Jennifer’s demand struck a chord with her father. But not long after she addressed the issue of advancement with him, he remarked to her that she’d be a good fit for a position that had opened up at the corporate office, which was then located in Kearny.

She eventually got the job in 1997. And for the first time – but not the last – she and a family member would find themselves working side-by-side.

Knowing when to stop talking shop was key, Treshock said.

“When we were home, we’d talk about work – though certainly not all the time,” she said. “Mostly, we kept it light. My dad would ask me how certain people he’d known for a long while were doing. And we always shared stories about funny things that happened.”

McClane retired in 2002, though he remained on Kearny Bank’s board of directors until 2020.

He passed away in 2024 at the age of 87, and is still deeply missed, his daughter says.

“Looking back, it’s clear how influential my father was,” Treshock said of the executive who introduced checking accounts and ATMs to Kearny Bank.

“He shaped me, both as his daughter and in my career, and he also helped steer a direction for those who worked for him,” Treshock added. “He was loved and respected, mostly because he just really enjoyed helping people.”

A NEW GENERATION

During the pandemic, Treshock’s daughter, Melissa, was looking for a new job. Her mother suggested she apply for a position at the Fairfield office location that, in 2004, had become Kearny Bank’s corporate office.

She got the job. And a familiar dynamic returned to Treshock’s life again.

“In some ways, having Melissa as a colleague is similar to working with my dad,” she explained. “We don’t shy away from discussing work, but we don’t dwell on it either. More than anything else, we’ll discuss amusing stories we’ve heard or things that have happened.”

“I’m sure Melissa appreciates that she’s in a unique situation, working for the same company her mother does, and where her grandfather was once the president and a board member,” Treshock said. “It’s not something any of us ever thought would happen – it just worked out this way.”

“Our family has witnessed quite a bit of Kearny Bank’s history, and I know Melissa’s proud,” she added.

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