Jane McDonnell passed away on March 5, 2022 at home in Aliso Viejo, CA at the age of 70.Her positive attitude and perseverance while dealing with cancer for over 5 years is inspirational.She was born in Stamford, CT to Lillian and Robert Buchan.

A loving wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend, she will be dearly missed and live forever in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.Jane is survived by her husband of 44 years, Tim McDonnell of Aliso Viejo, CA, and sons Michael McDonnell of Woodbridge, VA, and Eric McDonnell of Dillon, CO.She is also survived by her sister Gale Tarzia of Stamford, CT, and six nieces and nephews.She is predeceased by her parents.

Jane grew up in Stamford, CT, and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1974 where she made many lifelong friends.She entered into a career of retailing in various popular brand department stores (Read's, Gimbel's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor).She took a detour to focus on guiding her sons into following their passions in life, that in the end influenced their career paths.Jane's volunteer time at schools that her sons attended prior to college kept her closely connected to their educational environments. Education, both formal and informal, was extremely important to her. Her pride in her sons' accomplishments has absolutely no bounds.

Jane's life experiences and perspectives were enriched by the locations she lived in (Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Northern California, and Southern California) and the countries that she traveled to (34) in North America, Europe, and Asia with New Zealand being one of the highlights.Her hobbies of exploring many, many of our gorgeous National Parks (Yosemite in particular) with her family, cheering on UConn women's basketball, UCLA and college football in general, Warriors basketball, interior decorating, reading novels, hiking and backpacking, beach time in Orange County and immense quantities of winery visits in her favorite Sonoma County, kept her very young in attitude and at heart.

In addition to family, what was of utmost importance to Jane were the many close friendships she forged over the years. From elementary school through college at UConn, with neighbors in Texas and California, with Tim's high school and work connected friends, and with fellow volunteers that supported the Aliso Niguel marching band, Jane cherished these relationships more than any of these people may have realized.

The family would like to thank Dr. Howard Cheng and all of his associates at his office in Laguna Hills, CA for their personal caring and efficiency that had a positive effect on her resiliency.

A memorial service will be held at McCormick & Son Mortuary, 25002 Moulton Parkway, in Laguna Hills, CA on Monday, March 21st from 10:30-11:30 am, followed by a burial service at the El Toro Memorial Park cemetery in Lake Forest, CA at 12:00 pm.An additional celebration of life will be held in Connecticut in the near future with details to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Susan G. Komen Foundation or the charity of your choice.