Dr. Jane S. McConnell

Dr. Jane S. McConnell, 72, died Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Mayo Clinic Health System hospital in Mankato.

Jane was born June 12, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Harry and Nancy (Wells) Schuster. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1985 and 1990 from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Iowa in 2000.

Jane married Robert McConnell in Ames, Iowa, in July 1991 and started her teaching career at the University of Oklahoma in 1996. They moved to Mankato in 2001, and she was a popular journalism professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, until she retired in 2026.

Unusually intelligent and full of curiosity, Jane was a lifelong omnivorous learner. She had a passion for nature and helped to support animals in need. She loved her cat, Wrigley, and enjoyed feeding raccoons, fishing, bird watching, rock hunting on Minnesota’s North Shore, and other hobbies, especially gardening. Jane was empathetic, friendly, and loving. She was proud of her son, Neal, whom she raised as a single mother.

Jane is survived by her husband, Robert, of Mankato; a son, Neal (Emily) Schuster of Norman, Oklahoma; two sisters, Nancy Funk of Cockeysville, Maryland, and Suzy (Ed) Harapat of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; a brother, John (Jan) Schuster of Derby, Kansas; three grandchildren, Anne, Frederick, and Nathan Schuster; stepsons Mike McConnell of Bedford, Iowa, and Philip McConnell of Altoona, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

The family would like to thank the nurses who cared for her at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the Mayo health system hospital in Mankato for their compassionate care and support. There will be no services. She would appreciate donations to Alley Cat Allies and the National Wildlife Federation.