Three days later, she was unemployed.
Now, the 43-year-old is nervously dusting off her curriculum vitae and contemplating what she describes as a "life-changing" return to the job market.
She won't be alone - her partner of seven years, another Fisher and Paykel employee, was also due to be made redundant when decommissioning of the Mosgiel plant was completed in three weeks, she said.
Once that happened, the couple would both be statistics - two more names on the growing list of unemployed workers across Otago.
Department of Labour figures, released yesterday, showed unemployment in Otago has crept up in the year to March, from 3.3% to 3.6%, while national unemployment hit 5% for the first time in six years.
Mrs Freeman said yesterday it was the first time she had been made redundant, and came after 13 years working at the factory - first on the dishwasher production line and, later, as a test technician in the Fisher and Paykel product development office.
She had expected her job as a technician to be safe, with a transfer to the company's new global design centre in the Wall Street mall.
However, on April 21, she and other staff were called to a meeting and told six more positions were to go, in addition to the 430 job losses announced last year, she said.
Those affected by the redundancies would know by the end of the day, they were told.
"It blew me away. I didn't expect that at all," Mrs Freeman said.
"Then my boss came and took me away. "I knew what was coming."
Despite the upheaval that followed, the company had been generous, Mrs Freeman said.
She was given a larger than expected redundancy payout, plus six weeks' wages, help preparing a new CV and other assistance.
However, the challenge facing her - finding another job - was yet to really sink in, she said.
Another former Fisher and Paykel receptionist, who would not be named, told the ODT yesterday she had applied for six receptionist positions without success since losing her job on March 31.
Even so, the woman was buoyed to have made the shortlist for three of the positions, as each vacancy had attracted between 50 and 100 applications.
For Mrs Freeman, the level of competition was "quite scary".
"I have never had to have a CV before.
"I don't even know what I want to do, really, because being there 13 years I didn't ever think this would happen."
She has three children - all boys, aged 16, 19 and 22 - from a previous marriage, none of whom live at home.
Belt-tightening was still on the horizon.
So, too, was more stress and uncertainty, and even the possibility of relocating in search of work.
Despite that, Mrs Freeman said she was remaining positive, and considered herself "one of the lucky ones".
"There are people out there who have got young children who are going to find it a lot harder."
