Mirror photo by Walt Frank Pat Savage (right), retiring president and CEO, chats with executive assistant Patty Faith at Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries.

A familiar face will be missing from the offices of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries at the end of February.

Patricia W. “Pat” Savage, who has served as president and CEO of ALSM since January 1996, will officially retire from her position effective Feb. 28.

That position was the perfect job for Savage, who grew up in Reading and spent the early part of her career working in northeastern Pennsylvania, as the director of the Senior Companion Program for Telespond Senior Services in Scranton and then as director of Hospice Saint John. She then became vice president of program operations at Lutheran Welfare Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Hazleton.

While Savage said she liked the job in mental health and thought she was making a difference, she always wanted to help people by serving as CEO of a social ministry organization.

When the position with ALSM came open, she applied and “was fortunate to get it.”

“This area was not much different than Hazleton,” she said. “There were a lot of needs and challenges.”

Savage said the new position was an opportunity to advance her career and “hopefully make a difference.”

“I came here to serve the people of the area,” she said.

Committed to helping

During her time at ALSM, Savage said she has enjoyed the kindness and sincerity of the people she has worked with and the sense of community.

“People reach out and help people,” she said. “I am proud of the fact that I am committed to serving people, not only here but am very active in the community.”

Community service has been an important part of life, Savage said.

One of those community organizations that is very “near and dear” to her is the American Heart Association, as her first husband, John Savage, died of a heart attack at 50 and her grandmother, Julia Harris, died of a heart condition at 65.

Savage chaired the executive leadership team for Blair Go Red for Women, an organization that raises awareness and funds for the American Heart Association.

“One in four women die of heart disease, more than any disease,” she said.

Savage’s work with the heart association is appreciated, said Brooke Greybush, AHA division director.

“Pat is passionate and committed … and inspires the same commitment in others by encouraging all of her fellow volunteers to know their ‘why’ and lead by example,” Greybush said. “She continues to use the Go Red for Women platform to educate the community about heart disease and stroke in women and the importance of prevention.”

Greybush said there appears to be no task too big or too small for Savage, whose leadership has made a real difference in central Pennsylvania.

“We’re grateful that she’s put her heart into our lifesaving mission,” Greybush said.

Lifelong learner

Savage has received numerous awards over the years, including the 2013 Paul Haas Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Leading Age Pennsylvania.

“That was a big honor,” Savage said, noting that Leading Age Pennsylvania is an organization for seniors and the award is given every year at its annual conference. “That was the highlight of my career,” she said.

Being a lifelong learner has been the key to her success, Savage said. “I have always been interested in developing new skills. … I like to mentor new leaders.”

ALSM has grown both in facilities and in services under Savage’s leadership, said Pastor Ron Miller, chairman of the ALSM board of trustees.

“She is always looking to improve and expand services across our service area, while also being open to the needs of the communities we serve to see if new services or ministries might be needed,” Miller said.

“Her persistent and strategic leadership has helped ALSM become a leading health care organization in the region,” said Bishop Paula Schmitt of the Allegheny Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “She has led ALSM with compassion and resiliency in challenging times.”

State Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, former ALSM director of development, said Savage was a dynamic leader at ALSM and in the community.

“Pat did not just lead the ALSM office locally but was a leader in the Lutheran Social Ministry community in Pennsylvania and across the nation. She was always the first person to step up and offer to chair a committee or speak at an event. Many ministry organizations would reach out to Pat for input as she was a wealth of knowledge on many fronts,” Ward said.

Community impact

“Drive around Hollidaysburg and you’ll quickly see the impact that Pat Savage has made on the community, particularly within the elder population,” said Joe Hurd, president/CEO of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce.

Hurd said Savage’s efforts have made ALSM’s commitment to long-term care and senior housing incredibly impressive.

As an active member of the chamber and a former board member, Savage “has generously given her time to our committee of nonprofit businesses,” Hurd said. “She is relentless in getting things done.”

‘Not done’

While she may be retiring, Savage said she’s “not done by any stretch of the imagination.”

Instead, it’s time for her to move onto other opportunities and challenges.

“The word retirement sounds so final,” she said, but she intends to keep busy.

“I am never going to ‘retire,'” Savage said, noting she will do consulting, teaching and mentoring. “I don’t see myself as someone sitting in a rocking chair.”

After 27 years at the helm of ALSM, and several years working through the COVID-19 pandemic, Savage said she is looking forward to a change.

She and her husband, Roger Johnson, are moving to Lititz to be closer to family, and she hopes to resume hobbies that have languished, such as cooking and needlework. She also plans to travel, returning to beloved places in Italy, Germany and France.

Savage said the future of ALSM will be in good hands as it is in the process of affiliating with Liberty Lutheran Services, which has similar values as Allegheny and a similar mission.

It is an affiliation and not a merger, she pointed out, noting both are strong financially.

“ALSM will retain its identity,” she said. “I see our mission to serve people through compassion, love and mercy will continue.”

As she looks back at her career, Savage said she hopes people “remember me as a community leader, someone who wanted to make a difference.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.