Jeremiah McShane inspired others

Jeremiah McShane, a former Minnesota State High School wrestling champion and college wrestler who inspired many others, died Nov. 13. He was 63 and lived in Minneapolis. 

McShane was s state wrestling champion for Minneapolis De LaSalle High School and also lettered in wrestling for the University of Minnesota. He broke his neck in September 1971 in a skydiving accident. After the accident McShane continued to inspire and encourage others.

A celebration of his life will be held on Dec. 21. Cremation Society of Minnesota is in charge of arrangements. For details call 612-825-2435.  He is survived by his life partner Jeannie O’Connor and her family, as well as mother, brothers, sisters and their families. He was preceded in death by his father and brother-in-law.

 

Ann Smalley Jordan helped children

Ann Smalley Jordan, a pioneer in programs and services for children with Down syndrome, died Nov. 14 of stroke complications. She was 97 and lived in Fergus Falls and Marine on St. Croix.

The Perham native studied nursing at the University of Minnesota and served as an Army nurse at hospitals in New Guinea and Australia during World War II. She earned a Bronze Star during the war. After her military service she became the assistant director of the child development division at Lakeland Mental Health, creating programs and services in a four county area of west central Minnesota for children and families with Down syndrome. Her work helped shape state standards surrounding children with disabilities. She was one of the first program administrators to seek outside grant funding for programs.

Jordan retired from public health work in 1978 and then began volunteering five days a week at the Otter Tail County Historical Society in Fergus Falls. The archive library is named in her honor. A community gathering was held Nov. 20 at the Otter Tail County Historical Society. Jordan was preceded in death by her son Lorin, parents and siblings. She is survived by a daughter-in-law, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.



Sasha McHale’s death spotlights lupus

Sasha McHale, daughter of Minnesota basketball legend Kevin McHale, died Nov. 24. She was 23 and lived in North Oaks. The Houston Chronicle reported Sasha McHale had “long battled lupus, an auto-immune disease, and was hospitalized with a related condition.” Kevin McHale is head coach of the Houston Rockets. He recently took a leave of absence from coaching to be with his family.

Sasha McHale was a Totino-Grace graduate and a member of a state championship basketball team there. She wore No. 32, the same number her father wore during his hall of fame career with the Boston Celtics.

She attended University of Minnesota-Duluth but left school recently. She was one of Kevin and Lynn McHale’s five children. Lupus is an auto-immune disorder. The immune system creates auto antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue and can cause chronic inflammation, pain, and damage to the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys.