Nancy Ellen Johnson

    Nancy Ellen (Wells) Johnson of Clearwater, Florida, a loving and faithful servant of her Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, passed from this life to the next after a short battle with an aggressive illness (MDS) on September 8, 2020.  She is, and will be, dearly missed.

Nancy was born May 21, 1939 and raised by her loving parents Kenneth N. Wells M.D. and Kathryn Wells in Spring Lake, Michigan (“Where nature smiles for seven miles”).  Nancy’s father was a small town doctor at a time when doctors made house calls and carried a black bag.  In another era she might have become an M.D. but the times being what they were, became a nurse. 

Nancy was a member of the nursing profession all her working life, starting out as a candy striper assistant when she was 14 years old, and becoming a full fledged member of the profession after getting her nursing degree in 1960 from the Blodgett Hospital School of Nursing in Grand Rapids.  True to form, she remained in contact with her nursing school classmates on and off throughout her life.  Over the course of her career, she worked at about every job a nurse can do, on the floor, in the Emergency Room, and as a nursing supervisor. After fleeing the Michigan winters for Florida, she worked as director of infection control at Moffit Cancer Center until her retirement. 

In retirement, Nancy remained active (some might say compulsively so), and used to joke that she didn’t know how she ever had time to hold down a full time job.   As a loving child of God, she was an engaged member at Northwood Presbyterian Church. She was also active with P.E.O. Sisterhood, which provides educational opportunities for female students.  She enjoyed traveling with her friends, walking her dog, playing bridge, book club and the soft sands of Clearwater Beach. 

Although an only child, Nancy wanted a big family and had 5 children with her husband Stanley K. Johnson.  She and Stan split after their children were grown.  Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren meant the world to her, and she was so proud of them all.   When her children had kids of their own, she relished telling them about the years she had multiple kids wearing diapers at the same time (and this was before disposable diapers were available). 

Nancy was kind, compassionate and always helpful.  She was a rare combination of someone who was a good listener and a good talker.  Once you started a conversation with her, you never knew where it was going to go or how long it would last.  Dial her up on the phone for a short call and before you knew it an hour had gone by and you’ve covered topics from politics to books to religion.  When the pandemic hit, Nancy became a Zoom maven, holding weekly zoom calls for the family.

Nancy is predeceased by her parents, and survived by her five children, Michael, Cathy, Lani, Steve and Terry; fourteen grandchildren, Adam, Anna, Kelly, Cameron, Christopher, Brian, Derek, Aaron, Kathryn, Harper, Maia, Nathan, Andrew and Cassidy; four great-grandchildren, Hailyn, Aaron Jr., Jack and Logan; and beloved cousins Margo and Donna.  She also leaves behind innumerable friends. 

A memorial at Northwood Presbyterian Church is being planned for November 7 at 1:00 PM and will be livestream.  No Flowers please. Contributions can be made to Northwood Presbyterian Church Music Ministry or your local P.E.O International Chapter.  

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