The H&R Block Fountain Hills branch has added a new member to its team.

Arlene Franzel, a Fountain Hills winter visitor since 1998, found it difficult to give up her 350 clients at H&R Block in Superior, a town tucked away in the northwestern corner of Wisconsin. So she did what her heart told her at the time – she gave up almost five months of sunshine and blue skies, and right after Thanksgiving she left Fountain Hills for frigid weather, mountains of snow and dangerous driving conditions so she could take care of her clients.

“I drove 42 miles, one way, from my home in Iron River,” Franzel said. “It took me almost an hour to get home, longer if the roads were icy. But I was really, really lucky. I never had a major accident.”

Like many women of her generation, Franzel did what she had to do to raise her four children alone after her husband died when she was just 41 years old.

“Numbers have always been my life,” she said. “I started out as a bookkeeper in a school district, and after that I owned several businesses with my husband. When he died, I let the businesses go and became a Real Estate Agent, something I could do while I devoted myself to my children.”

It was 28 years ago when she began at H&R Block, working her way up to the level of Senior Tax Analyst. She made many friends along the way; that’s why it was so difficult to make the decision to transfer to H&R Block in Fountain Hills so she could finally enjoy the beautiful weather for more than just a few months.

“I’m looking forward to this new era,” Franzel said. “I love helping people, and I can help people in Fountain Hills just as well as I can help people in Superior. I’m qualified for returns involving retirement, rentals, farms, clergy and any other individual return. It’s my pleasure. And at the end of the day, I'm home in five minutes. That’s a pleasure, too.”

For an appointment with Franzel, call 480-837-3429.