Nadine E. Fries knew in her heart she wanted to help people.

"I thought maybe a nurse or something along that line," she said. "But that wasn't where I felt I needed to be, so I thought to myself, what's the worst time in life? And that's when you lose somebody you love. I decided that someday I'd be a mortician."

Life unfolded the unpredictable way it does and Fries found herself in the restaurant business for more than 25 years. But she never relinquished the dreams of her youth. About 10 years ago, she finally sold her Sun City restaurant, Memories, to put herself through school to become a licensed funeral director.

"For me, I look at the other side of the coin. I know it's a sad time when you lose somebody, but I'm here for the purpose of making it be a pleasant memory for the family," she said. "That's what I work toward every day. It's something that I truly, truly want to do."

It turns out Fries knew her strengths. The Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel director was recently named Funeral Director of the Year by the Arizona Funeral Directors Association.

"I just lost it. I cried, I shook, I did everything I knew to do," she said through tears. "It was very humbling for me to even think my co-workers would even do this for me, and then to be chosen went beyond my wildest dreams.

"This celebrates my 10-year anniversary. This turned out to be a wonderful way to celebrate it."

Fries was chosen from more than 600 licensed funeral directors in the state after co-workers nominated her based on her commitment to the families she serves.

She said she feels blessed to be able to work in a job about which she feels so passionate.

"I just do what I do. I come to work every day, and I feel so privileged because I get to help people on the saddest day of their life. I just try to make everything go as smoothly as possible and give them a good lasting memory of their loved one," she said.

Fries holds all three licenses possible for mortuary services - funeral director, embalmer and cremationist - which puts her in a favorable position to be able to perform whatever act family members desire for their lost loved one.

"When I sit down with a family, no matter what the wishes are, I can complete it for them," she said. "I don't have to make the arrangements and then pass their loved one off to someone else. That's real important for me because, hopefully, they're entrusting their loved one to me and I can see it through from start to finish. Nobody wants to be here, but one of my goals is to make them as comfortable as possible."

In addition to her devotion to her position at Sun City West's only funeral home, Fries volunteers with Hospice of Arizona a couple of days each week.

"Hospice gives me, oftentimes, the opportunity to get to know the (person) before they get here. I get to know them, I get to talk to them, I get to joke with them and hear some of their special memories," she said. "I'm hooked. It gives me a stronger connection to the family."

Working so closely with death has taught Fries some important lessons about life.

"I think (this profession) has enhanced my life because it's truly given me an eye-opening experience of how quickly life can be taken from us," she said. "The biggest thing I've learned is to enjoy every single moment. It's very important to tell people in your life you love them."

Fries may be reached at Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel at 623-584-6299.

Erin Turner may be reached at 623-876-2522 or eturner@yourwestvalley.com.