Robert Winslow Hatch, 86, passed away on January 24, 2025, in Overland Park, Kansas.
Born on September 8, 1938, in Hanover, New Hampshire, Bob was the eldest child of Winslow Roper Hatch and Clotilde “Dita” Meiggs (Keith) Hatch. His mother wryly noted that Bob’s arrival coincided with the legendary New England Hurricane of 1938.
Bob graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A., served in the United States Army Reserve, and earned an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Bob then married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Packard Murphy on June 30, 1962. Together, they raised two children, Kristin G. Hatch and Robert W. Hatch, Jr.
In his professional career, Bob served as Chairman and CEO of Cereal Ingredients, Inc., a specialty food ingredients manufacturer he founded in 1990, with locations in both Leavenworth, Kansas and Saint Joseph, Missouri. He simultaneously led Great Plains Analytical Laboratory in Kansas City, Missouri. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at General Mills, Inc., where he rose to Executive Vice President, and Interstate Bakeries Corporation as Chairman, President, and CEO.
Bob and his brother, John Hatch, an economist and former peace corps volunteer, combined their passions and skills to help start FINCA International in 1984. FINCA pioneered the “village banking” model of micro-lending, which has since transformed the lives of over 75 million people across more than 45 countries. A visionary and strategic leader, Bob served as the board chair of FINCA until 2021.
On top of all of this, Bob volunteered in many other capacities: from working with neighbors to preserve the urban tree coverage in Minneapolis against the ravages of Dutch Elm disease in the 1970s to serving on the Board of Regents at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and sharing his expertise with the Perennial Wheat Project at the Land Institute, Salina, Kansas.
Bob loved to laugh and was known for his upbeat, can-do attitude. His hobbies included fly fishing, elk hunting and travel. For many years, he and Nancy enjoyed spending part of their summers in Aspen, Colorado, where he fished and then together with Nancy, listened to lectures at the Aspen Institute.
Bob is survived by his cherished wife of 62 years, Nancy P. Hatch; his children Kristin G. Hatch (Delaina J. Miller) and Robert W. Hatch, Jr. (Marian Saksena Hatch); one grandchild, Bridget Murphy Hatch; his siblings, John Keith Hatch, and Rosita Hatch Hiscox; his nephew and nieces and their families, and other relatives and longtime friends.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Prairie Elder Care for their compassionate care and to his friends and colleagues at Cereal Ingredients, Inc., and Great Plains Analytical Laboratory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to FINCA International to honor Bob’s commitment to eradicating global poverty: www.finca.org.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in the spring.
Obituary published by Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri.
