Norma Jean Wingo

Norma Jean "Jeanie" Wingo of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord on March 4, 2026-just 13 days shy of her 97th birthday-leaving behind a legacy of faith, family, and fierce devotion to others. Born in Elkhart, Indiana, on St. Patrick's Day, 1929, Jeanie carried something of the saint's own resilience-steady in chaos, strong in spirit, and courageous in calling. That calling led her to the Memorial Hospital of South Bend School of Nursing, where she completed her training in 1951. Upon receiving her Indiana Registered Nurse license in 1952, she formally pledged herself to a profession she would serve faithfully for more than 40 years. And serve she did.

Jeanie worked in nearly every corner of nursing-from emergency rooms to maternity wards, surgery suites to ICU units. She spent much of her career at Elkhart General Hospital, later serving as Director of Nursing at Turtle Creek Nursing Home and eventually as Director of Nursing for Martin Marietta Atomic Energy-roles that reflected not only her clinical excellence but her servant's heart. Anyone who knew Jeanie understood that nursing for her was never just theory or practice-it was ministry. Framed in her home was the nurse's pledge she once recited: to practice faithfully and devote herself to the welfare of those committed to her care. She lived those words long after she first spoke them. Jeanie sang in the church choir with soprano reverence, played early Sandi Patty on repeat, and declared in both practice and song, "It is well with my soul." Her relationship with Christ was not performative-it was personal. She trusted Him fully and leaned on Him daily. Even as her days grew fewer, she'd boast, "I'm gonna go see Jesus!"-usually followed by a mischievous grin. Always quick with a hilarious retort, a surprising moment of candor, or a perfectly timed side-eye, Jeanie brought warmth, sass, and spark to every interaction. She was married for 56 years to the love of her life, Joe Hamilton Wingo, who preceded her in death. His "honey bee," she and Joe stayed busy long after retirement-traveling to visit family near and far, retracing ancestral lines, and tackling every home and lawn project themselves. "Leave me a list," she would say when coming to visit-and nothing was off limits: tree trimming, window washing, well into her 80s. She could milk a cow, deliver a baby, build a fence, drive all night, and sing every word to the "Hallelujah Chorus." She cared for Joe in his final season the same way she had cared for patients her whole life-steady, attentive, and uncomplaining.

Jeanie is survived by three children, six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and her beloved cat, Callie. Each grandchild carries some version of her-her grit, her quiet resolve, her love of pink. Each treasures memories of play-forts from the kitchen counter with bed sheets, cash slipped into their pockets for good grades, homemade fudge, Bible verses, and quiet wisdom. Her legacy lives not only in the patients she cared for, the nurses she led, or the family she raised-but in the faith she carried for us all. "The clouds be rolled back as a scroll..." And even so, it is well with her soul.

Services will be held March 17 at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone Blvd, Elkhart, IN 46514. Family viewing time is 10:30-11:30am, with a service to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Missions at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church, 134 St. Clair Ave, Elkhart, IN 46516-a reflection of the faith that sustained her. Online condolences may be made to her family at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com