Hermie Gaye Plunk

Hermie Gaye Plunk, M.D. was born October 21, 1934 in Finger, TN the daughter of the late Rev. Albert (A.A.) A. and Ollye Pearl Amerson Plunk.

Dr. Hermie Plunk was the ninth of ten children, graduated high school at the age of 15, went to Memphis State University on a basketball scholarship graduating in 1954, and worked as a medical technician for several years.

At a young age, she was determined to become a doctor. At the age of 17, she applied to medical school and was told: "You would just get married and take up space a boy should have." In 1961, she was accepted to UT Medical and completed her internship at St. Joseph Hospital in Memphis. Due to the draft of the Vietnam War, she took over the practice of Dr. J.M. Robinette in Jonesboro, AR where she practiced from 1966-2005. She was the first female doctor in Jonesboro, AR. Throughout her career she practiced medicine in three states: Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. She had a heart of gold allowing patients to pay what they could even with tomatoes, ran an indigent clinic, and would drop everything to help someone in need.

She was not a stranger to struggle, grief and setbacks. Her father passed away in 1972, her mother in 1973, and her finace', Charles Raney Moore was killed in a plane crash around the same time as her parents death.

A year after the death of her loved ones, she started a family of her own. She became the first single parent adoption in the state of Arkansas with the adoption of her son, Jonathan. She helped many childless couples to adopt.

Outside of being a doctor, her passion was music. She strummed the guitar, recorded folk and country-western songs, and sang with a band throughout North Arkansas. She had many interests including her fast cars, skeet shooting, fishing, floating the river, traveling with her sister Frankie, going on annual trips to the Smoky Mountains, watching NBA basketball, and even obtained her pilot license.

Dr. Hermie Plunk departed this life on December 25, 2014 in Jackson, Tennessee at the age of 80 Years, 2 Months, 4 Days. She is survived by a son, Jonathan Raney Plunk of Jackson, TN; two daughters, Julia Amira Plunk and Jade Olivia Plunk both of Jonesboro, AR; five grandchildren, Savannha Kohler, Carrie, Brianna, and Leah Plunk, Rhys Raistrick; two great grandchildren, Colby and Brandon Kohler; three sisters, Dorothy Adcock of Memphis, TN, June Brock of Henderson, TN, Dale Pope and husband Ralph of Germantown, TN; and a host of extended family and friends.

In addition to her parents, Dr. Hermie Plunk was preceded in death by her fiance', Charles Raney Moore; four brothers, Jesse, Prince, Curtis, and Pete Plunk; two sisters, Anna Lee (Sally) , Frankie Winningham.