FROM BLUFFTON ICON - Deb Retterer, Greg’s Pharmacy of Bluffton manager and pharmacist, hangs up her white coat for the final time later this month.

Retterer of Ada, has handled pharmacy needs of  area residents since 1989 when she joined Greg Conkling in a part-time position.

After Conking sold the pharmacy to Clark’s in January of 2013 Retterer became the store manager. In that role, she’s more than a pharmacist. She oversees store sales, expenses, inventory and staff needs.

Today the pharmacy employs eight persons including two pharmacists, four certified pharmacy technicians and two Ohio Northern University pharmacy interns.

Retterer graduated from ONU with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1981. She said that she always liked math and science, which led to her interest in pharmacy. Her father was a hospital lab tech and drug salesperson, which also helped sway her toward her eventual profession.

She says that she’s had some great mentors as her career grew. Prior to working in Bluffton she worked for a time with Jim Turner at Gardner’s Pharmacy in Ada. She also worked at Blanchard Valley Hospital, St. Rita’s, Maples Pharmacy in Carey and Hawkey’s Pharmacy in Columbus Grove.

“Greg Conkling was a great person to work with,” she said, looking back at her pharmacy experience, adding that he was a fantastic mentor and teacher in customer service.

“Greg had a saying that ‘every day is a pop quiz’ concerning working in a small-town pharmacy,” she laughed. “He really prepared me in management when he retired.”

The pharmacy profession changed considerably during her own career.

“There were no generic drugs when I started,” she said. “Drug stores ordered directly from manufacturers. Today all those orders are through wholesalers.”

“And, when I started there was very little prescription insurance coverage. Customers would simply pay the retail price with cash,” she said. “When I started working in Bluffton we might fill an average of 80 prescriptions a day. Now that’s well over 200 a day.”

To demonstration the expansion of drug options, today Greg’s carries from 1,000 to 1,500 different medications on its shelf. One has 14 different strengths.

Retterer has prepared for retirement over the past two years. He husband, Dave, retired in August as professor of computer science and mathematics from Ohio Northern.

She and her husband are turning their hobbies into second careers. Dave’s interest is in woodworking and laser engraving. Her’s is in sewing and embroidery.

“To prepare for our retirements, we formed Kayllen, LLC.  Under that umbrella is Opa’s Woodworks (Dave’s business) and Baba Deb’s Threads (Deb’s business),” she said.

Retterer said her final days at Greg’s will be Thursday and Friday, Dec. 29 and 30. Until then, she generally works at Greg’s on Thursdays and Fridays.

Upon her retirement Andrea Williams, a Bluffton High School and Ohio Northern University pharmacy graduate, will become store manager.