Nancy Elise (Draper) Johnson

Nancy Elise (Draper) Johnson of Naples, Florida peacefully departed this life on Monday, April 22, 2024. She shared 37 beautiful years of marriage with Don Johnson.

Nancy was born on November 30, 1941, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Nancy was the daughter of Willis and Bertha Draper and had two siblings, Robert and Linda. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1959. She married in 1960 and had four children with her first husband, Ralph Zwart.

Her first job as a teenager was at the local soda shop. As an adult, she worked at many jobs, too many to list, but her most distinguished job was at the Upjohn Company in Research and Development. Nancy was always praised for her good work and strong work ethic.

In 1986, Nancy married the love of her life, Don Johnson. Together they have lived, loved, and traveled to many places and survived the good and the bad together and with love. Trips across the United States, the Bahamas, and Michigan for family visits. Nancy and Don have lived in Michigan, Georgia, and finally Naples, Florida for the last 25 years. They enjoyed owning a pleasure boat for 10 years and spent a lot of downtime wandering the 10,000 islands.

Nancy was spunky and loved music, singing, and dancing. She had a unique and funny personality-she might smile at you or stick out her tongue. As a kid, she liked bicycling and roller skating. As an adult, she took up golf and made a once-in-a-lifetime, hole-in-one, a very rare thing to accomplish.

Her son David remembers her smiling face at his basketball games, cleaning the house with Joan Baez and Janis Ian blasting on 10. She smashed into a car as she was waving at her sons playing football. The sheer amount of effort she made to make our holidays special. She loved and lived life big. She was strong and overcame so much pain-always a souper trooper. Her son Craig, born on December 19th, has a special memory of his mom playing The Best Gift sung by Barbra Streisand on vinyl every Christmas Eve for him and always called him her Christmas baby.

Thank you, Nancy (Mom) for everything you are, your help, your inspiration, your teaching. Thank you for the memories. We wish you peace.

Nancy is survived by her husband Don, her daughter Sandy, sons Brian, David, and Craig, daughter-in-law Lisa, grandsons Holland and Milo, and many relatives and friends.

Memorial Service, Fuller Funeral Home, 4735 Tamiami Trail E, Naples, FL 34112, Thursday, May 9, 2:00 p.m.