Mathews County Administrator Mindy Conner announced that she will be retiring as of July 31.

Conner said her retirement is both for health reasons and because she will officially have 30 years in the Virginia Retirement System as of July 31, making her eligible for full retirement benefits.

During the past year, Conner has quietly battled a rare type of sarcoma that even more rarely was found in her wrist. The cancer had to be surgically removed, along with her pinky finger and a sizeable portion of her wrist. Conner said she’s been surprised to find that the surgery, which took place last October at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, has left her with very limited use of her left hand, and that another surgery will be required, involving the removal of more of her wrist bone. This will require further physical therapy and rehabilitation, she said.

“These are things I will be better able to do if I’m not working,” she said.

The October surgeries left Conner unable to dri...