Resident of the Month

Clare Jane McAbee was a slightly delayed Christmas gift, born in Spartanburg, SC, on December 27th, 1938. She grew up in Spartanburg, where she graduated from Spartanburg High in 1957, then attended Cecil Business School right after. Her wonderful grandmother had much to do with her upbringing and taught her the wisdom she still carries today.

In 1960, she won the heart and married a charming friend named Curtis Nivens. Soon came the kids, (Tracy first, then Angela) along with a permanent move to Greenville, and all the typical accoutrements of domesticity in the 1970’s. Janesaw the opportunity to jump fully into the workforce in the late 70’s and became an exceptional secretary for theprincipal at a middle school, before later becoming a Parrish secretary at Christ Church in Greenville. Over the nextdecade, she progressively obtained a job as a legal secretary at a law firm, and then as an Executive Administrative Assistant at Jacobs Engineering, where she retired after 15 years.

Jane and her husband fostered a love of the beach and Grand Strand culture with yearly family vacations.During the1980s, Jane and Curtis pursued their passion for the Shag dance and became so good at it that they began to teachand win competitions. After years of participation with shag groups and associations, Jane was inducted into The Beach Shagger’s National Hall of Fame in 2001, and Curtis followed with his induction in 2003. The couple have their names and photos in The Shagger’s Hall of Fame Museum at the Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort in North Myrtle Beach, and their names engraved on pavers on Main Street, which continues to preserve the history and popularity of the Shagdance as the official State Dance of South Carolina.

Jane and Curtis were also skiers for some time. Worth mentioning, don’t be fooled by her graceful demeanor… Jane hasmore artificial parts than anyone can shake a stick at, and the screw in her thumb is nothing compared to the rest. Skiing ultimately led to knee replacement back in the day, then quite a few falls led to both hip ball joints and some femur hardware later on. She WILL set off alarms at airports for sure!

Jane is one of the kindest people you’ll meet. She’s taken on an immense amount of life-changing challenges recently. Still, you can see her appreciation of the simple things in life, like a good movie or book, seeing her two grandsons or granddaughter, being a great grandma too, (with another great grandchild on the way!) or just reaching out to others tobe kind.

With the passing of her husband in January 2024, she is embarking on a new phase in life with authenticity andhumility, and is enjoying getting to know her fellow Legacy residents. I am so happy I moved here!