William Veazey sought and valued balance at Cargill

William (Bill) Veazey of Minnetonka, the chief financial officer of Cargill, balanced the books of the corporation. He also balanced a multitude of cultural and financial differences among its operations in many countries.

Veazey, 59, who in 1975 began his career at Cargill as an accountant in Minneapolis, died unexpectedly on May 16 at his Minnetonka home. His family said the cause is probably heart-related.

Cargill is a global food-processing and commodities company based in the Twin Cities.

Greg Page, Cargill's chairman and CEO, said that Veazey's assignments for the company in London and Brazil gave him credibility with Cargill employees around the world and that his financial and accounting acumen helped make the company a lot of money.

"He had very serious work to do, and he did it with incredible humor," Page said. "If you heard a great deal of laughter down the hall, the probability that he was at the center of the story-telling was pretty high."

At meetings, he enjoyed "staking out a minority position," said his boss. "He enriched the quality of our debates."

After earning a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Montana in Missoula in 1970, the Butte native served as an Army finance officer in London.

Early in his career, he held various financial management jobs in Cargill's Corn Milling Division in the United States and Europe.

In 1983, he was named chief financial officer of Cargill Agricola S.A. in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1989, he returned to London to become CFO of Cargill Europe. He moved back to Minneapolis in 1992.

In 2005, he was named to the top financial post in the corporation, the job he held when he died. In 2007, he joined the firm's board of directors.

Warren Staley, former chairman and CEO of Cargill, worked with Veazey on many assignments.

About 30 years ago, with Veazey in Brazil and Staley in Argentina, the duo gained invaluable experience as the global economy grew, and they nudged staffs of varying cultures to cooperate.

Staley said he was invaluable, dealing at the time with hyperinflation in Latin America, currency exchange and the complicated, differing rules of international business.

Veazey often "disarmed" Staley with his humor and irreverent remarks.

"He was very bright and had a quick wit," Staley said. "He had a great sense of humor" that he used to defuse tense situations.

Jay Olson, corporate vice president and treasurer of the firm, who reported to Veazey, said he successfully walked the fine line between being friendly and being a serious leader.

"He was never hesitant to challenge somebody," said Olson. "He took a keen interest in people's careers and was just a good counselor."

He is survived by his former wife, Kathy, of Missoula, Mont.; a daughter, Katie, and two sons, Thomas and Michael, all of Minnetonka; a brother, Ted of Providence, R. I., and a sister, Mary Ann Albee of Missoula.