“We become Sisters of Charity over a lifetime by living up to the name we bear.”
-SCL Constitution

Sister Jane Jackson, 80, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL) for 63 years, died on January 23, 2024. She entered religious life on August 30, 1960, and took the name Sister Rose Virginia when she received her habit. She later returned to her baptismal name.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Sister Jane was the second of the three children of William Roger and Mary Virginia (née Eimer) Jackson. Her parents fostered a family spirit that was faith-filled, people-oriented, and fun-loving – traits that characterized Sister Jane throughout her life. She considered her siblings her best friends and shared a special bond with Sister Judith, her sister and also a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth.

Sister Jane was taught by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth at St. Louis Grade School and Bishop Hogan High School, both in Kansas City, Missouri. In these settings, the seeds of her vocation were planted and cultivated. Sister Jane said the Sisters “taught me to love learning and modeled the beauty of community life.”

Throughout her ministry, Sister Jane primarily taught and administered in elementary schools in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, and Oklahoma. Sister Jane said she loved it when her students’ eyes lit up with an “ah-ha” moment of understanding. She held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Saint Mary College (now University of Saint Mary) and Dayton University, respectively.

Sister Jane applied her many talents to other roles over the years. For three years, she was the SCL Mother House coordinator. She was a founding faculty member of Cristo Rey High School, Kansas City, Missouri; a teacher’s aide in the Foster Grandparent program at Resurrection School, Kansas City, Kansas; and a volunteer at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, and Leavenworth Interfaith Community of Hope.

Preceding Sister Jane in death were her parents. Survivors include brother William Roger (Nadyne), sister Sister Judith Jackson, her beloved nieces Susan, Teresa, Mary, and Jane, their husbands and children, many lifelong friends, and the SCL Community.

There will be a vigil service at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Ross Chapel, SCL Mother House, Leavenworth. Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated in Ross Chapel at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Interment will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Mother House grounds. Memorial contributions can be made to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, KS 66048.

Click this link to view a short memorial video created in honor of the life of Sister Jane Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmpJYpmrzzw