Four decades of volunteering

Two women wearing similar outfits locked arms near a clothing rack at

the back of the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Corona del

Mar.

Laguna Beach resident Sue Jacobs initiated the contact. She was

touched by the story of her friend, Huntington Beach resident Herta

Fremont.

“Her steadfastness and charisma is amazing,” Jacobs said. “She’s

always been there and always does so much for people. She motivates

everyone.”

Discovery Shops, which raise money for the American Cancer Society

through retail sales, celebrated their 40th anniversary last month at

43 stores across California.

Fremont, 86, is the only volunteer who has worked at a store for

all 40 years. In fact, her work for the American Cancer Society

predates the founding of the Discovery Shops.

In the early 1960s, she and her husband, Dr. Edmund Fremont, went

door-to-door in the San Fernando Valley, asking neighbors to donate

to the organization’s general fund.

Herta Fremont was the chairwoman of an American Cancer Society

thrift shop that closed down shortly before the Discovery Shops

opened.

Her involvement with the organization began shortly after her

husband was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1961. Doctors removed his

larynx, which temporarily prevented him from talking.

The American Cancer Society paid for Edmund Fremont to attend a

support group, where he learned how to speak again. Volunteers from

the society regularly called to check up on Herta Fremont to make

sure she was emotionally and financially stable.

“We had just moved to California and didn’t know anyone,” Herta

Fremont said. “I thought it was so nice. I felt I owed them

something. They were the only ones who helped when I really needed

it.”

Edmund Fremont made a full recovery from the throat cancer, and

his wife remained involved with the organization. She helped open a

Discovery Shop in Northridge, where she accepted donations from

individuals and businesses and priced the items.

When a location opened in Corona del Mar more than 20 years ago,

Herta Fremont began volunteering there. She moved to Huntington Beach

and helped the store with a move of its own.

The Corona del Mar Discovery Shop has been one of the most

successful in the state. Last year, the store raised $390,000 for the

American Cancer Society, according to store manager Lucy Quintana. A

total of $4.3 million has been raised by the store in its more than

20 years of existence, she said.

Herta Fremont works one day a week, occasionally helping customers

shop for used clothing. The Austrian-born volunteer said she has a

group of loyal patrons who visit the store to seek her advice.

“She’s very astute on fashion,” Quintana said. “She knows exactly

how to price everything.”

An expert on European clothing lines, Herta Fremont typically

purchases an item from the store each time she volunteers. She still

donates to American Cancer Society causes because cancer is still a

part of her life.

Three years ago, Edmund Fremont was diagnosed with cancer of the

bladder. Although the cancer was removed through surgery, doctors say

it is likely to reappear.

Herta Fremont is on the mend herself. She was diagnosed with

breast cancer and has made a full recovery.

Many of her fellow volunteers are cancer survivors or have been

affected by the disease. Herta Fremont said she chooses to put it out

of her mind.

“We don’t talk about it while we are in the store,” she said. “You

go on and enjoy as much of life as you can.... I’ve outlived a lot of

people. Maybe it’s my attitude.”

Next week, the Fremonts are leaving for a monthlong trip to

Europe. While Quintana has 60 volunteers who help at the Corona del

Mar store, she said Herta Fremont’s services would be missed in the

short term.

“It’s not the same when she isn’t here,” Quintana said.

For information on the American Cancer Society, call (800)

227-2345.