Tinye Marshall’s nearly 10 years as greeter in the Philadelphia Wal-Mart Supercenter has now catapulted her to celebrity status, with official designation Tuesday as Mississippi’s Most Outstanding Older Worker for 2006.

But to hear the selfless, affable 85-year-old great-grandmother tell it, Wal-Mart — and the chance to interact with her extended family of customers — has been nothing less than personal salvation for a senior citizen not fond of the concept of retirement.

“This job has saved my life — mentally and physically,” said Marshall, of DeKalb. “It gives me something to get up for every morning.”

Her award includes a trip to Washington, D.C. on Oct. 3, which just happens to be Marshall’s 86th birthday. While in the nation’s capitol, she’s slated to have an audience with Mississippi’s U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, and U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering. She’ll also represent Mississippi at an awards banquet with Outstanding Older Worker honorees from all 50 states.

Wearing a soft purple dress with a multi-flowered corsage, the lady known as “Miss Tinye” addressed a crowd of close to 200 people at a ceremony inside the Wal-Mart.

“I’ve been told that when I get to Washington, D.C., every senior citizen from Mississippi will be on my shoulders,” Marshall said. “So I told Rayburn Breazeale he better get on a diet,” she added, with her trademark homespun humor.

Longtime friend Breazeale happened to be on hand for the good-natured ribbing, which he says he’s been getting from Marshall for years.

“Tinye’s always picking on me about losing some weight. She’ll say, ‘I don’t believe you’ve gone on that diet yet,’” Breazeale said.

The two previously worked together at the Wells Lamont glove manufacturing plant, where Marshall operated a sewing machine for more than 30 years.

“She’s a super lady — number one in my book. Whenever you’re down, she always knows how to cheer you up,” Breazeale added.

If given the chance to speak in Washington, Marshall said she’ll do her best to be an ambassador for two constituencies — senior citizens, and, as she put it, “one of the greatest states in the union, Mississippi.”

Several attendees praised Marshall for knowing so many customers by name, asking about their families, and being generous with hugs.

But the love has been a two-way affair, with Marshall saying the bond with Wal-Mart customers helped her get through the loss of her husband, Perry, four years ago.

Marshall was surrounded by family members Tuesday, including her son, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a brother, among others.

Taking his turn at the microphone, Marshall’s son, Gene, of Meridian, couldn’t resist describing a mother who kept him in line as a young boy growing up in Kemper County.

“I slipped away from the house one day, and that limb she cut, it hurt my legs every step of the way,” he said, partly tongue in cheek. “I appreciate everything that everybody’s done for my mama.”

Disbelief that Marshall was about to turn 86 was a common theme echoed by family and friends alike.

“She still seems like my grandmother that I used to stay with as a child. We’d ride the tractor, play out in the barn and the hay loft, and she’d take us fishing,” said Marshall’s eldest granddaughter, Kim Johnson, of Hattiesburg. Johnson also praised her grandmother’s ability to tell spirited bedtime stories, and her fearlessness.

“We once caught a snake, and she just took out a hoe and killed it,” Johnson said.

Marshall’s fervor for work may well be rooted in her background as a child of the Great Depression, during which she remembers milking cows, and toiling in a cotton field for 50 cents a day to provide for her family. “I’d give it to my daddy to buy groceries,” she said.

While the economic need may no longer be there, Marshall said she can’t imagine not working.

“Just don’t go home and sit down,” is her advice to fellow senior citizens who may no longer be courted by traditional employers. “Wal-Mart keeps my mind busy, and that has helped me,” she said, with unsolicited praise for her employer.

Numerous political dignitaries came out to honor Marshall, including State Sen. Gloria Williamson, Neshoba County Supervisors Mike Moorhead and Harold Reynolds, Philadelphia Alderwomen Janice Payne and Bobbie Jackson, and Kemper County Sheriff Sam Tisdale. Buck Bounds spoke on behalf of his son, Rep. Scott Bounds, and apologized for the fact that his son could not attend due to last-minute political business.

Sen. Williamson touted Marshall as a model for the vital role senior citizens can play in the workforce, if only given the opportunity.

“I think you’ll have more influence up there than many of the politicians,” Williamson said of Marshall’s upcoming trip to Washington.

Roy Flake, who recently relocated from the Coast to become District Manager for the Wal-Mart region that includes Meridian and Philadelphia, said he’s only had the privilege of knowing Marshall since February. But he believes the giant retailer is lucky to have her.

“We’re real proud of her. She’s very energetic, very pleasing, and an example of friendliness,” Flake said. “She doesn’t do it for the recognition. It’s just who she is.”

Marshall, meanwhile, played down her stature of role model, and has no immediate plans to quit.

“I’m going to work here as long as I can stand up,” she said.