Georgia Southern Nursing Alumna Honors Colleagues with Nursing Honor Guard

Nursing instructor Jennifer Heyer (’94) was looking for a way to honor her fellow nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had several fellow nurses pass away during the pandemic,” she said. “And I knew I had to do something that would commemorate their nursing legacy. So I started researching.”

That’s how she discovered the National Nursing Honor Guard.

“I was very intrigued,” she said. “And of course, I don’t do anything halfway, so I jumped in headfirst. I contacted the national president for a consultation. Before I knew it, we had our very own Georgia chapter.”

The Honor Guard is a volunteer organization of nurses who attend the memorial services of nursing colleagues who have died, and perform tributes named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

“We read the Nightingale Tribute, we light the Nightingale lamp and we do the final call of duty, where we call the nurse’s name three times,” she said. “That releases them from their nursing duties.”

Heyer says the guard’s main duty is to provide comfort to the families.

“It’s an honor to recognize the nurse for their nursing service,” she said. “When I stand up there in my all whites, with cape and cap, it makes me stand up a little bit taller.”

Heyer has served as the state coordinator for the Honor Guard since 2024. Since then, the organization has grown from five chapters to 18 spread across the state. In 2025, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a special commendation designating May 12 as Georgia Nurse Honor Guard Day.

“There were 90 of us who went to the state capitol to receive the commendation,” she said. “I never expected to get anything in return out of this; it’s just been an amazing blessing.”

Heyer’s own nursing career began more than 30 years ago. She started as an emergency room nurse in Albany, Georgia, shortly after receiving a bachelor’s in nursing from Georgia Southern University in 1994.

“It takes a special kind of person to thrive in the chaos of a hospital,” Heyer said with a laugh. “I worked there for about 10 years and then became the assistant nurse manager and the educator for the department.”

This led her back to school at Darton College (now Albany State) to pursue a master’s in nursing, which turned into a full-time position as a nursing educator.

“I started teaching emergency nursing and critical care courses for the associates program,” said Heyer. “I loved the emergency room, but I was pregnant at the time and knew I wanted to have a schedule that would allow me to enjoy the little moments of my son’s life.”

Her son has since left home to pursue his own undergraduate degree at Georgia Southern. Things are a little quieter around the house these days, and Heyer often finds herself reflecting on the memories she’s made with nurses throughout her career. When she found the Honor Guard, she found more than a sense of duty — she found herself as well.

“The Honor Guard has brought me back to life,” she said. “I see so many memories of my colleagues when I look into these nurses’ families’ eyes. More than anything, it just makes me so proud to be a nurse.”

— Bradley Mullis