Johna Lisa Welliver

She was born August 25, 1967, the third child of Peter and Nancy (Beary) Stawnyczy. Her Aunt Betty delivered her in the back of the family car on the way to the hospital in Elmhurst, IL. She started life in a hurry and rarely slowed down during her life.

She married Douglas Welliver II on August 19th, 1989, at Glen Ellyn Bible Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She started to pursue a nursing degree but that was quickly interrupted by the happy birth of Doug’s and Johna’s first child. Five more children followed in the next eleven years. She homeschooled the children for several years before enrolling them in the Plainfield public schools. After the children left home, Doug and Johna moved to the Phoenix area and later to the Indianapolis area to be near Doug’s family.

After the children started public school, Johna resumed her pursuit of becoming a nurse. She received her associate’s degree in nursing and passed the RN exam in 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2022. She had nursing jobs in home health, outpatient clinics and hospital observation units before she started at City of Hope in Phoenix. She was a dedicated oncology nurse. But she was more than a nurse—she was a source of strength, compassion, and unwavering care for every patient and family she touched. Her dedication to healing others defined her professionally, and her impact continues to be felt by all who knew her.

Her other great passions were woodworking and carpentry. There was no project that Johna couldn’t tackle. She built a feature wall in her home in Avondale, AZ. She installed a laundry chute and cabinets in her sister’s home and completed many other projects.

She was also athletic and loved softball, running (she completed the Chicago Marathon) and hiking.

Johna is survived by her husband, Doug Welliver; children, Douglas Welliver III, Juniper Harfoot, Logan Welliver, Lydia Raven, Ethan Welliver, and Emma Welliver; grandchildren - Adrianne & Anabelle; siblings - Steve (Christine) Stawnyczy, Peter (Rhonda) Stawnyczy, and Alexandra (David) Cribaro; in-laws, Doug and Dotsey Welliver, Daylon (Annette) Welliver, and Dan Welliver.

A visitation for Johna will be held at 10:00 AM followed by a celebration of life service at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Bethel Presbyterian Church,1401 S. Naperville Road, Wheaton, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation to City of Hope in Johna’s honor at https://ourhope.cityofhope.org/Johna.

Neptune Society has been entrusted with cremation arrangements.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family by visiting: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/indianapolis-in/johna-welliver-12358752