Member Spotlight: Leon and Sallie Abbas
Leon and Sallie Abbas met in the last place they expected: a continent away from home, serving in Bolivia.
Originally from Maine, Sallie was teaching math and science at a small community high school in the Latin American country. It was 1965 — her first job out of college. There she met Iowa-native Leon, serving a two-year stint in the Peace Corps.
“It’s really kind of funny, because in subsequent years a student from those years has told me that when I started dating Leon, that they were speculating about whether it was serious or not — and then we married,” Sallie said.
They married in the US in 1966 and returned to Bolivia to complete his term of service. After finishing there, they lived in multiple states, finishing up graduate degrees before moving to North Carolina in 1976.
“Between the two of us we have seven college degrees,” Leon said.
Leon studied economics and later in his career owned his own financial planning business.
“I just felt like this was the best service I could do for my community,” he said, adding that this sort of help aligned with his personal values.
Sallie stayed in math and science education for her career, working with students from elementary through adults during her career.
In their later years, they’ve both stayed active. Leon retired only last year at age 85. Sallie is very involved in volunteering, serving as gifted youth coordinator for Mensa of Eastern NC and president of NC Partners of the Americas, which partners with Bolivia for positive change.
In 2023, Sallie continued her work of education by publishing a book, Reinventing Your Life After Retirement. It’s a comprehensive guide to nearly every topic that can help retirees live their best life – from financial guidance, discounts available for seniors, travel tips, downsizing advice and more.
“I think I touched on topics that really go beyond what a lot of other books talk about,” she said, adding that she’s updated it recently too.
Sallie has had great feedback about the book since publishing it. Readers have shared that the section on scams to watch out for was incredibly helpful, and also the broad scope of volunteer opportunities she shares about.
Leon wrote the chapter on finances, she readers have found his explanations really helpful.
“One of the things is having a way of 1) engaging with a financial planner, and 2) knowing if what you have is going to last,” Sallie said. “How do you even calculate that and feel comfortable?” After learning what is included in the chapter, many readers have much more peace of mind.
That peace of mind is also something the Abbases have found with ThriveMore at Home. They joined about a year and a half ago and already had cause to use the services only a few months into membership.
“It’s been very good, because there’s a lot of thoughtful attention given to the program and meeting the needs of the clients,” Sallie said.
