Marian Oliver Johnson, age 68, a resident of Wheaton, Illinois, passed away on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. She was born June 19, 1953 in Long Beach, California, the only child of Stanley and Doris Oliver.

Marian moved as a young girl to Rockville, Maryland. She had a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing in school and church choirs. She graduated from Churchill High School and from the College of William and Mary, where she majored in history with a minor in French and loved her art history courses.

After college Marian worked in youth ministry at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Washington D.C. She then earned a Master of Theological Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, where she particularly enjoyed studying Puritan history.

At Gordon-Conwell, she met her lifelong friend, Anne Russell who, with her husband Tom (now an Anglican priest and professor), became friends for 50 years. Tom, Anne, and their son Thomas, whom she viewed as her nephew, all survive Marian.

Marian loved to travel. Proficient in French, she spent a summer in France on a shot-term mission trip. One year she took an extensive trip to England and Scotland with another lifelong friend, Mickey Auger.

Marian always loved talking history, theology, and art with her friends. She was a member of the Art Institute of Chicago and had an amazing musical aptitude and memory, being instantly able to recognize music she could only have heard decades earlier. She learned to play the hammered dulcimer as well as continuing to sing in church choirs.

Marian moved to the Wheaton, Illinois area to work with Pioneer Clubs, a Christian organization that ministers to the spiritual growth of children and young people. Eventually she went to work for David and Karen Mains at Mainstay, formerly Chapel of the Air. She worked as a developer of programs and courses, as well as an editor and office manager. Marian was generous and kind, an amazing listener, and an unofficial aunt to children of her friends. Always looking for ways of putting her faith into action, she volunteered to answer phones at a crisis pregnancy center.

Marian attended Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in Geneva, Illinois for over 25 years. In the early years, she joined a small group that has continued through the years, becoming almost like family for one another. Marian was blessed by their support in all parts of her life, as well as their monthly spiritual studies and their holiday get-togethers. Also at St. Mark's, she met her husband, Ken Johnson, another longtime member. They served on the prayer desk together, praying with congregants who came to them during the Eucharist on Sundays. They were married at Saint Mark's in 2009.

Marian left Mainstay to pursue a career as a chaplain. After earning a Master of Divinity from the Anglican program at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. She did an extensive course of Clinical Pastoral Education at Rush Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago. She received a special commendation for comforting dozens of injured persons and their families after a mass casualty event. Though still an intern, she was the lone chaplain at the hospital that night. After completing the program, she did freelance chaplaincy work for senior centers and nursing homes, often through the Grace and Peace organization. Marian was working through her ordination as a priest when Alzheimer's made it impossible to continue.

The past decade Marian and Ken worshiped at Church of the Savior in Wheaton. Even as her health declined, she continued singing in the worship choir. She loved attending the ESSE adult daycare center in Wheaton before moving to nursing homes for rehabilitation and care.

Marian was known for her sweet caring disposition and her love for others. She is survived by her husband of thirteen years, Ken, and her stepchildren Eric (Diana Yuchi Cao) and Ingrid (fiancé Aaron Childers) Johnson. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2022, 1:30 pm at Pleasant Hill Community Church (location of Church of the Savior), 26W401 Geneva Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187. The service will be livestreamed via this link: Livestream for Marian Oliver Johnson . Reception to follow. Followed by inurnment at 5:00 pm at the columbarium at St. Mark's Church , 320 Franklin Street, Geneva, IL 60134.

Memorial gifts may be directed to:

Church of the Savior
P.O. Box 507
Wheaton, IL 60187
( https://friendsofthesavior.org/giving )

and

ESSE Adult Day Care
St. Paul Lutheran Church
515 Wheaton Ave.
Wheaton, IL 60187
( http://www.esseadultdaycare.org/donate.html )