Jeanette McDonald Angilan Johnson

Jeanette McDonald Angilan Johnson, 88, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, passed into the arms of her Savior on May 3, 2026. She spent her final years at Legacy Park Apartments in Stillwater, where she was loved by so many neighbors and friends.

Jeanette was born May 15, 1937, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to George Angilan and Ruth Bernadette (Rutherford) Angilan with her brothers Bill and George Angilan. She lived an incredible life and was a fearsome woman to behold. In a moment of remarkable resolve, she gathered up her four young daughters, an antique swing set, a cat, a dog, and a little red wagon, and set out for a new life in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

From that fierce beginning, she built everything that followed. At Oklahoma State University she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social sciences. She went on to serve as an educator at Langston University, and during her graduate studies she volunteered with prison ministries — beginning a lifetime of reaching toward those whom others overlooked.

Later in life, Jeanette returned to one of her great loves: the written word. In 2014, she walked up to the publisher of the Perkins Journal at an OLLI class and announced — not asked, announced — “I’m going to start writing a column for you!” She wrote that column faithfully for the next nine years and also contributed to the Stillwater newspaper. Through her writing she brought hope to lost and hurting souls, becoming a quiet companion to readers who never met her in person.

For decades, Jeanette served at University Heights Baptist Church in Stillwater. Her faith in Jesus was the center of her life. Those who loved her best remember her as a true prayer warrior — a woman whose belief was so unwavering that prayers seemed to be answered simply because she trusted that they would be. You wanted Jeanette on your side. Her sense of humor carried her through some of the darkest seasons of her life, and her generosity was famous: she gave what she had to others, even when it was not enough for herself.

She loved music, teaching, writing, her family, and the American Southwest — Santa Fe most of all.

Jeanette is survived by her brother, Bill; her four daughters; and many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Debbie Hays, with her children Brian Wood, Willy Wood, Amberly Wood, Chris Hays, Danielle Hays Worth, Chelsea Hays Rivera, and Jason Hays. Linda Scarbrough, with her children Christine Williams and Sean Scarbrough.

Leila Burton, with her son Jamie Burton. Mary Jurgens, with her children Kim Jackson, Ryan Jurgens, and stepdaughter Misty Jurgens.

She was preceded in death by her beloved grandson, Brandon Hays.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Dighton Marler Funeral Home in Stillwater.

A memorial service will be held Friday, May 15, 2026, at 10:30 AM in the Dighton Marler Funeral Home Chapel, followed by burial at 12:30 PM at Fairlawn Cemetery on East 6th in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Memorial contributions may be made in Jeanette’s honor to University Heights Baptist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in support of the church she loved and served for decades.