Sr. Jane McCarthy

1936 - 2026

Sister Jane McCarthy, 89, a former teacher at Lexington St. Ann's school, passed away January 20, 2026, at The Alverno in Clinton, Iowa.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 28, at The Canticle, 841 13th Ave. N. in Clinton, with Rev. Dennis Martin presiding. A livestream link is available at https://clintonfranciscans.com/news--events/in-memory.

Visitation will be at The Canticle from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, with a rosary at 3:45 p.m. and wake service at 6 p.m. Burial will be in St. Irenaeus Calvary Cemetery. Pape Funeral Home is assisting.

Jane Ann was born March 17, 1936, in Clinton, the eldest child of Daniel Noel and Colette (Hohenhorst) McCarthy. She was baptized at St. Mary's Church on March 29, 1936. She had one brother, Thomas, and one sister, Kathleen. She attended St. Mary's School and Mount St. Clare Academy in Clinton, graduating in 1953. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis at Mount St. Clare Convent on September 8, 1953, and received the name Sister M. Noel at her reception on June 21, 1954. She later resumed her baptismal name. She made her first profession on August 12, 1956, and her final profession on August 12, 1959. Her novitiate classmate was Sister Ann Martinek.

She received a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. She held Permanent Professional Teaching Certificates in Iowa and Missouri, teaching certificates in Illinois and Nebraska, and certification as a Pastoral Associate. She enjoyed learning and did further studies through multiple courses, workshops, and trainings.

Sister Jane ministered as a teacher and administrator - mostly at the junior high and high school levels - at schools in Iowa, Illinois, California, Nebraska, and Missouri. In Clinton, she taught at St. Patrick, Mater Dei, and Mount St. Clare Academy & College. At the college, she also served as an Academic Dean and Financial Aid Officer.

She served as a Pastoral Associate in Chicago and Maywood, Illinois. To be of service to the Hispanic community, she began studying Spanish in the Archdiocese of Chicago. To increase her fluency in the language, she completed several sessions at San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico. She ministered to the Hispanic communities at St. James Parish, Maywood, Illinois; St. James Parish, Washington, Iowa; and Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish, Clinton.

She served on the General Council of the Sisters of St. Francis for eight years and was General Secretary and Canonical Treasurer for four years. She retired from full-time ministry in 2014, but she continued to be active as an advocate for immigrants and worked tirelessly in support of immigration reform.

Sister Jane was an avid reader and enjoyed birdwatching, sewing, listening to Native American flute music, and researching her family history. She volunteered at the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Thomson, Illinois. She moved to The Alverno in 2022 and remained there until her death on January 20, 2026.

She is survived by her brother-in-law, Digby Willard; several nieces, nephews, and cousins; and the Sisters of St. Francis with whom she shared life for 72 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Thomas (Patricia) McCarthy; and sister Kathleen Willard.