Former AP Equipment Chief People Officer O’Leary dies

Raquel O’Leary, former chief people officer and former chief operating officer at Bend, Ore.-based AP Equipment Financing, died of cancer May 18. She was 48 years old.  

O’Leary’s career in equipment finance and lending spanned more than three decades, per her LinkedIn profile. Before joining AP Equipment Financing in 2011, she had been assistant division manager of equipment finance at San Francisco-based First Republic Bank and Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Bank of Walnut Creek. She also served as a financial services representative at Union Bank of California. 

In December 2021, O’Leary left AP Equipment Financing to become business development manager at Miss Olive’s Ready Meals, a Meals On Wheels-type service catering to the Bend community.  

O’Leary is survived by her mother Tami Ramirez, husband Matthew O’Leary and their two children, the family’s fundraising webpage said. 

“Raquel’s legacy is one of compassion, generosity, mindfulness and an amazingly positive spirit that inspired everyone she encountered,” the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association said in a statement May 20. “Her passing is a monumental loss to all communities, where she was not only a natural leader but also a mentor and a friend to many.”