TUPELO, Miss.—Registered nurse Jonie Tharp recently retired after 29 years of service at North Mississippi Medical Center.

A 1977 graduate of Deer Creek High School in Arcola, Tharp studied microbiology at Mississippi State University for a year before earning an associate degree in secretarial science from Mississippi Delta Community College. She worked for an insurance agency, a car dealership and a bank before moving to Tupelo in December 1991.

Tharp started her career with NMMC in March 1992, working in the risk management department. In December 1994, she moved to West Point and transferred to NMMC-West Point as a data clerk in Business Services. While continuing to work full time, she completed her associate degree in nursing from Mississippi University for Women in 2010. “My manager at the time encouraged me and gave me the opportunity to do so,” she says.

Tharp worked as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at NMMC-West Point for six years before moving back to Tupelo. She worked as a nurse on 2 West for two years and then transferred to the Nursing Resource Pool, where she finished out her career on June 2.

“I have really enjoyed working here,” Tharp says. “I will miss the people more than anything.”

She and her husband, Tony, have been married for 30 years. Because of some health issues, they are temporarily moving to Nashville to be closer to his doctors. They love to travel and have recently started kayaking. Together they have two children – John Michael Stockton of Starkville, and Meredith Crocker (Trey) of Leakesville—and three grandchildren, Hunter, Anna and Olivia Crocker.