Someone once said the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

For 40 years, PowerSouth Applications Analyst Mattie Freeney has loved her job.

On Wednesday, she celebrated her 40th work anniversary with the company and on Friday she will retire.

Freeney began working at Alabama Electric Cooperative at 24.

Her first job was a receptionist and she worked her way to being department secretary in 1977 and to records coordinator in 1990 before taking her current position in 2000.

When asked why she’s stayed there for so long, she said, “it’s the best company here.”

“Honestly, the company has been good for me and good to me,” she said. “There have been some terrible times, and there have been some exceptionally good times. The good times outweigh the bad.”

Freeney said she’d estimate that 95 percent of her days have been good ones.

“I can say that I’ve never had a bad boss,” she said. “And I’ve worked with some wonderful people. I’ve made some amazing friends.”

Facebook friends of Freeney know she’s been counting down the Mondays until her retirement for weeks.

“When I got to work Monday, I would have never thought I would have cried,” she said. “When my foot hit the pavement, I began to cry. By the time I made it to my office, I was boo-hooing. I’m ready to go, but I’m definitely going to miss the people.”

And she’s going to travel the world in her retirement – or at least some of the U.S.

“I have six trips arranged so far this year,” she said. “I’m going to Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, and in September I’m going with the Adult Activity Center to Alaska.”

Although, Freeney, who serves as president pro temp on the River Falls Town Council doesn’t plan to run for re-election, she said she hopes to stay active in the parks, roads and cemetery committee.

“I would really like to do that,” she said. “And work to get a community center for the elderly people and work to get tutoring for children.”

She said she’s always visited nursing homes and plans to keep that a part of her life.

“I also want to do all the things that I enjoy,” she said. “I’m going to work in my yard and plant a garden.”

But first thing is first, she’s a top priority.

“The No.1 thing I’m going to do is, I’m throwing the alarm clock in the hobo,” she laughed. “It will not wake me up again.”

Freeney said she’s been working her entire life.

“I grew up on a farm,” she said. “My dad was a sharecropper and we helped him. When I graduated from Woodson on Friday, I went to work at Social Security on Monday morning. It’s retirement time.”