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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shirley Freyer
Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Tel: 1-724-352-1571 x8266
sfreyer@concordialm.org

Concordia Cook Retires After 17 Years

Cabot, PA – It was with a tear in her eye that Lund Cook Sue Brant talked about saying goodbye to the residents who have become like family during her 17 years at Concordia. On May 4 she’ll be retiring to spend more time with her other family – the ones that are actually related to her.

“My kids say I need to start enjoying my life,” Brant said. “I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my grandchildren.”

Currently living in Freeport, Brant said she plans to get an apartment in the Pittsburgh area so she can be closer to her family. While reflecting on her many years at Concordia, Brant said memories of the summer festivals and Oktoberfests are the first to come to mind. During those events she would typically cook for over 500 people.

On a regular day she made sure that anywhere between 150 and 300 residents were fed. A certified dietary manager, she has always worked closely with Cheryl Kirkwood, food service coordinator. She said her favorite aspects of the job were interacting with the residents and, fittingly, cooking.

“I was an aide for about seven months when the Cook position opened,” she said. “I told Phyllis Brown (Keith Frndak’s assistant who hired her) I wasn’t aide material, and since then I have cooked in every building except Haven III.”

Brant said she had three very good reasons for staying with Concordia for so long – sending her two daughters and son through college. Her daughter Tracy is a nurse at University Hospital in Richmond, VA; her daughter Debbie is a massage therapist in Pittsburgh; and her son Michael works as a buyer in Greenville, SC.

Brant is a born-again Christian who enjoys reading, ceramics, and painting. One thing she said she is looking forward to during her down time is getting a few extra hours of sleep every once in a while.

“I’ve been getting up at 4:30, 5:00 a.m. for years,” she said. “I really can’t wait to sleep in a little bit.”