• HOME
  • BEST OF PARTY PHOTOS
  • FEATURES
    • Best Of Cover Shoot
    • Pet Owner’s Stories
    • People
    • Places
    • Issues
    • Remembering
    • Things
    • To Do
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • Finance / Real Estate
      • Financial Articles
      • Real Estate
        • Real Estate Experts
        • Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold
        • Articles
    • Around Town
    • Business
      • Belle Hall Shopping Center
      • Lowcountry Women in Business
      • MP Business
    • Dwellings
    • Entertainment
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Giving Back
    • Health & Wellness
    • Love & Marriage
    • Pets
    • Relax & Retire
    • Sports & Fitness
  • Read Magazine
  • MORE MAGS
    • Charleston Women 👩‍🏫🏢
    • Lowcountry Cuisine 🧀🍷
    • Best of Mt Pleasant Mag 🏆🏆
    • MP Business Mag 🏢
    • MP Pets 🐶🐱
    • Charleston Independent School Directory 🏫
    • MP Senior Living 👴👵
    • More Mags
      • IOP Mag
      • SI Mag
      • MP Town Hall Magazine
  • DIRECTORIES
    • East Cooper Dining Guide
    • Attorney Directory
    • 2025 Charleston Wedding Venues
    • Pool Builders/Services Directory
    • Financial Planners
    • Mount Pleasant Area Hotel Directory
    • East Cooper Worship Guide
    • East Cooper Fitness Directory
    • Senior Living Directory
    • 2023 Local CPA Tax Directory
    • Mount Pleasant Apartment Directory
  • SUBSCRIBE

Mount Pleasant Magazine

Mount Pleasant Magazine is the premier lifestyle magazine for Mount Pleasant, SC. Read about local news, events, businesses, people, and more. Subscribe today or read our digital magazine online.

Ad: Mount Pleasant Magazine Podcast. Your Community. Your Podcast.
  • Best of Mount Pleasant
    • 2025 Best of Mount Pleasant Including Previous Years
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Winner Articles
    • Best Of Party Photos
  • Podcasts
    • Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Carolina Real Estate Podcast
    • Georgetown the Podcast
    • Coastal Home Podcast Video Tour
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Podcast
    • Hammock Coast Podcast
    • More Podcasts
      • Charleston Women Podcast
      • Isle of Palms Podcast
      • Charleston Pet Podcast
      • Charleston Wedding Podcast
  • Top Ten Homes Sold
  • East Cooper Dining Guide
  • Advertise
    • Advertise With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Video Testimonials
  • About Our Team
  • MORE
    • Real Estate Experts
    • MP Town Hall
    • Attorney Directory
    • News
    • MP Neighborhoods
    • East Cooper Online Network
    • Contact

Second Act Retirement Is Just The Intermission

Posted by MPM Leave a Comment

Photo of a pen and a notebook labeled "Retirement Plan"
Retirement used to be the grand finale of a long career, trading in the 9-to-5 grind for shuffleboard and early bird specials. But a growing number of seniors are tossing out the old script and rewriting their life stories with an interesting post-retirement twist: their ‘second act.’

The reasons vary from financial need or missing social interaction to trying to stay at optimal health, but about 1 in 5 Americans age 65 and over continue to be part of the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Stitching Together a New Chapter

A sewing machine and fabricsBrooke Hallman is on her fourth career. “I was a labor and delivery nurse for 25 years, raised my kids, then became a paramedic instructor for 18 years,” Hallman said. After retiring from her paramedic career in 2003, her colleagues, who knew she always kept a sewing machine in the trunk of her car, suggested she start charging for her handiwork. Just like that, Sew What was born.

Now 90, Hallman works six days a week in her Mount Pleasant home, often seeing three to five clients a day. “People ask why I don’t retire. Most people my age who retire just sit around watching TV,” she said. “I’ve got people coming in and out of my door all day. It keeps me social, safe and active.”

She takes time for herself one day a week. “Wednesdays I take off for ballroom dance lessons and errands. It’s my version of a weekend,” she quipped. “And my nails and hair? Sew What pays for that!”

Her work brings joy to her clients, and to herself. “It’s rewarding to see someone try on a dress and say, ‘You saved my life!’ I always say, ‘I didn’t save your life, I saved lives for 18 years.’ This time, I’m just a convenience. But it’s a good thing to be a convenience.”

Hallman’s advice to retirees? “If your brain’s okay, set a schedule. Learn something new. I never took business courses, I just knew how to sew. Now I run an invoice program and built a business. It helps to keep your mind going.”

A Second Sermon

Photo of Rev. Mike Fitze of New Wappetaw Presbyterian Church standing at the pulpit.
Rev. Mike Fitze of New Wappetaw Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Mike Fitze thought he was done. He spent the last 15 years of his career as the organizing pastor at Palmetto Presbyterian Church and ‘retired’ in September 2022.

“I only lasted a week in retirement,” he said, grinning. “I didn’t like retirement. I’m a mover and a shaker; I like to build things. So I decided I would go back to the New Wappetaw Presbyterian Church in McClellanville. I was a minister there 30 years ago. It just felt right.”

Now, as a part-time minister commuting from Mount Pleasant, Fitze said he’s found the perfect balance. “It’s exciting. I’m growing the church, doing weddings, baptisms, funerals, all the parts of ministry I love. And without the pressure of trying to ‘make it.’”

Fitze’s second act allows him to tap into his creativity. He writes sermons, sends out “Mike’s Monday Message” to the congregation and leads community initiatives. At home in the retirement community where he and his wife Rosemary live, he stays fit with water aerobics and pickleball, but admits, “I can only play so much pickleball before it gets monotonous. I need something that challenges me mentally.”

Financially, he’s stable with a pension and Social Security, but the part-time work is a benefit for him and for the church. “The church doesn’t have to pay pension since I’m over 70, so I save them money,” noted Fitze. “But for me, it’s about more than income. I feel like I have a purpose.”

Fitze believes that staying engaged with people of all ages helps keep him young. “It’s good to be around different age groups. Whether it’s in the ministry or if you’re working at a store, being around others gives you perspective and energy.”

Power of Purpose

For both Hallman and Fitze, continuing to work in retirement is a choice rooted in passion, and it keeps them engaged and active.

“I like to be up, dressed and active every day. Because I have my clients to prepare for and work to do, I have a reason to do that. Every morning I text my daughters to say I’m up. They text back, ‘I love you.’ That’s how we start the day,” beamed Hallman.

Fitze echoed the sentiment. “If we weren’t old, this would be the perfect life,” he laughed. “Life is good, and this helps me feel like I still make a difference.”

Their stories are powerful reminders that age is not a barrier to ambition. Whether you’re 73 or 90, there’s room for reinvention. If you’re staring at retirement and wondering what’s next, the second act might just be the most fulfilling part of the play.

By Anne Toole

Sharing is Caring

Possibly Related:

Carolina Real Estate PodcastWell-appointed Charming Downtown Charleston Cottage at 2227 Mount Pleasant Street Shelby Rogers waving good byeFarewell, Mrs. Rogers: Hometown Tennis Star Shelby Rogers Retires The roof of a police cruiser with lightbar turned on with a blurred crowd in the background.Day in the Life of MPPD: Ride Along Act of Valor: Citadel Cadet Awarded Medal of Honor

Filed Under: Relax & Retire

Advertisement

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search The Site

We're on Facebook We're on X (formerly Twitter) Mount Pleasant Magazine Youtube Channel We're on Pinterest Mount Pleasant Magazine Facebook Community We're on Instagram
Ad: Get to know Gary Santos. Vote for Gary Santos, Mount Pleasant Town Council
Ad: South Carolina Federal Credit Union, enjoy life banking on the best.
Win FREE Palmetto Bowl Tickets -- click and enter today!
Mount Pleasant Magazine Sep/Oct 2023 magazine coverREAD DIGITALLY
Read the digital magazine
now.
GRAB A COPY
Where can I pick up a copy of Mount Pleasant Magazine?
SUBSCRIBE
Get Mount Pleasant Magazine Delivered.
Click Now, Read Digitally Ad: Read the Sep/Oct 2025 issue of Mount Pleasant Magazine online!
Ad: Visit Woof Gang today!
Read about the History of the Bridge Run
Ad: 2025 Live Under the Oaks
Visit Palmetto Christian Academy.org
Ad: 1st Choice AC, Heating, Plumbing and Gas, for the best AC Service for your home in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Pleasant Family Dentistry in Mount Pleasant, SC. Experience the BEST, and find out why we've been awarded 7 times in the BEST of MOUNT PLEASANT!
Click for Stores & Services
on Coleman Boulevard
Coleman Blvd Merchant Alliance
Best of Mount Pleasant logo is a registered trademark
Ad: Every Day is a Good Dog Day at Michael's Barkery
Ad: Premier Health and Wellness in Mount Pleasant, SC. Let’s Redesign Your Health & Wellness.

Most Recent Posts

Crown Coast Properties: The Royal Treatment

When Amy Rogers and her husband Tommy relocated from Charlotte to Isle of Palms in 2015 and founded IOP Residential Real Estate, their plan was simple: sell a few beach homes while enjoying life by … Continue Reading

Realities of the Sandwich Generation: Caregivers Stuck in the Middle

On any given afternoon, Natausha May might be rushing her son to cello lessons, driving across town to flush out her father’s catheter or making lesson plans for her students. A few miles away, … Continue Reading

Totality Medispa: Flawless Beauty

I first caught wind of Dr. Nicole Nadel at Totality Medispa when whispers began circulating through beauty insiders: she was the one behind Madelyn Cline’s lips. Yes — those lips. The kind that … Continue Reading

Front Street Georgetown

Opening Batch: Georgetown Crafts First Brewery

A craft beer fan and teacher from Cincinnati, Chase Runyan started brewing in his house by tinkering with kits and learning how to bottle the beer after fermentation. After making five or six batches … Continue Reading

Revolutionized: Georgetown’s Downtown Makeover

When the port city of Georgetown was laid out in 1729, merchant-oriented businesses and homes lined the land side of Front Street, originally called Bay Street, overlooking the sparkling Sampit River, … Continue Reading

Gold Standard: Georgetown’s Own Crowned Olympic Champion

When 23-year-old Nike athlete and Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson arrived at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she was determined to secure her … Continue Reading

More Front Street Georgetown

SEARCH

Get Our Free Newsletter!
EC Eats (Updated)
Pleasant Family Dentistry
Water's Edge Dentistry
34 Waterway Island Drive

Copyright © 1999 - 2025 Mount Pleasant Magazine, All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy

▲