40 Years of Caring at Concordia: Arlene Freehling

Below is an article we published in our employee newsletter the other day, but it’s just too great to keep to ourselves. Enjoy!

President and CEO Keith E. Frndak proclaimed the week of September 16 as Arlene Freehling Week at Concordia in recognition of 40 years of service to the Cabot community.

For Arlene Freehling, Concordia has been more an extension of home and family than just a place of employment. The Certified Nursing Assistant is a Cabot native, a graduate of St. Luke Lutheran School and Knoch High School and still lives in nearby Saxonburg. She was even a Candystriper at Concordia for two summers prior to beginning full-time work in 1978.

According to Arlene, she was influenced by her sister who worked here and loved her job. But even more impelling was the fact that she wanted to continue a legacy that began with her great aunt Selma Lauer who was Concordia’s first matron, hired in 1923. Miss Lauer retired 23 years later and in 1980 came back as a resident.

“My residents are more like family,” she said. And some really were relatives. Her mom has lived at Concordia for 27 ½ years and she says with much pride that Concordia was home to six close relatives over the years. She has fond memories of many of those who she cared for. She remembers taking some of them shopping and one in particular, Emmy Aul, came to her wedding and held her sons, Andy, now 25, and Bill, who is 23, after they were born.

Arlene said her job as a CNA is challenging and requires perseverance and patience but serving God’s people is a great reward. “It’s a team effort and I couldn’t do it all without my co-workers,” she added.

Arlene reminisces when her dad plowed the driveway and would deliver eggs to Concordia. In fact, her best friend lived in a house that was located on the land where the fountain is built in front of the Lund Care Center.

Arlene enjoys spending time with her husband, Chip, and the family, and loves to read, exercise, walk and swim. She continues her membership at St. Luke Lutheran Church.

Employees like Arlene are the reason why Concordia remains strong and committed to faithful caring. Thank you for your hard work, Arlene!

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There are a lot of reasons why an employee like Arlene has stayed at Concordia for so long. Want to learn more about them? Visit the Careers section of our website, www.ConcordiaCareers.org. Come and see how at Concordia, we put our faith in caring.