Tammy Guerrettaz

Tammy Guerrettaz took a crafting tour in Ireland recently with Tri Kappa sisters Kathy Strickler and Tara Babcock. Tammy is a person who treasures her friendships, and these two women are a big part of why she decided to join Tri Kappa in 2020. “I like meeting new people, and Tri Kappa has given me the opportunity to meet so many new women,” Tammy says. “I live out in the country, not in a neighborhood, and I can’t meet people there.”

Tammy was born in Japan, where her dad was stationed with the U.S. Army, but she grew up near Vincennes, attending South Knox High School. Following graduation, she attended nursing school at Vincennes University, then finished her undergraduate work at Purdue. She eventually got her master’s in nursing online through Ball State University. Along the way she married her husband, Bernie, whom she met at a “kegger” the night after she graduated from high school. They have two children, Nick and Olivia.

While her nursing career has taken many paths, including teaching at Indiana University, she is now in charge of bed placement at IU Health Bloomington Hospital. “I do miss working bedside (with patients),” Tammy admits. “That’s because I like the social part of nursing.”

Tammy loves crafts: working with paper, cross-stitching, crocheting. And while she says she doesn’t like to cook, she does acknowledge that Cheeseball Day is her favorite Tri Kappa activity. “I think cheeseballs are fun to put together with other Tri Kappas,” she says.

Tammy says she knows Tri Kappa takes dedication, but she believes it’s worth all the effort. “I was just talking the other day,” Tammy says. “There is a commitment to joining Tri Kappa, but you make what you want out of it. No one should feel intimidated about joining.” Plus, she adds, making new friends makes it all worthwhile.

More about Tammy

  • Loves to travel: “If the car is leaving the driveway, I want to be in it!” she says

  • Hobbies include reading and lying in the sun.

  • Spent a summer working in Alaska during her college days. The island could only be accessed via boat or plane.

  • Has been asked to interpret Spanish due to her last name: “I don’t speak a word of Spanish,” she laughs.

  • Is left-handed