Obituary of Frances Culver Shields McCabe

Frances Culver Shields (Nan) McCabe, 87, passed away surrounded by family at her home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on November 16, 2014. Born on March 6, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, Nan was raised in Lake Bluff, spending her early years enjoying the beaches, ravines and small town joys of the lakeshore village. She attended Lake Bluff Elementary and Lake Forest High School, then attended and graduated from Gulf Park Junior College in Gulfport, Mississippi in 1944. Nan attended Lawrence College in Appleton, WI, meeting Chapin McCabe, the love of her life, on a blind date in the fall of 1946. Nan and Chape married on April 3, 1948, starting their life together in Oneonta, NY. After subsequent stops in Pittsburgh, PA, Sherman Oaks and Bakersfield, CA, Nan and Chape settled in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 1956, where they raised their three children. Nan was an active parent and homemaker, creating many lifelong friendships and lasting memories along the way. After Chape’s retirement, they returned to Nan’s roots in Lake Bluff, where she rekindled old friendships and was active in the Garden Club and local historical society. Nan and Chape traveled extensively together, and Nan also continued her many creative endeavors from painting to gardening to beachcombing. Throughout her full life, Nan was known for always having a smile, her endless curiosity and appreciation for the natural world, and her unwavering love and support for her family. She never met a plant she didn’t like, and her shared seeds and cuttings continue to prosper from Maine to California. Nan is survived by Chapin, her husband of 66 years; her children Connie and Charley; sons-in-law Jim Pikala and Mike Defenbau and daughter-in-law Cindy McCabe; sisters Viola Fortna and Constance Chauncey; and nine grandchildren: Anna (Brandon) Serpette, Aaron, Connor, Molly, and Allie Pikala, Colin Defenbau, and Hannah, Walker and April McCabe. Nan was preceded in death by her daughter Carol McCabe Defenbau. Thanks, Nana, for your patience, love and ever-present smile. We love you. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Union Church of Lake Bluff or the Lake Bluff Garden Club.