Mrs. McGirt was a former teacher at Whiteville High School and the daughter of William Dannelly Brooks, Sr. and Elizabeth Jane Edwards Brooks. After growing up in Butters and Evergreen, NC, she attended Flora MacDonald College in Red Springs, NC, receiving an A.B. in English and history in 1941. Upon graduation, her lifetime dedication to teaching began with teaching positions in Bolivia, Warsaw, and Selma, NC. On November 17, 1945, she married her high school sweetheart, Ed Lane McGirt, at Evergreen Methodist Church, They lived in Whiteville for a brief period and then moved to Wilson, NC, where their only daughter, Brooks, was born. They then lived in Columbia, SC, where Claire taught at Blaney High School. They moved back to Whiteville in 1952, where she began teaching in the Whiteville City School system. She taught senior English at Whiteville Senior High School for many years and served as advisor for many extracurricular activities, including yearbook and publications. She also authored the lyrics for the Whiteville High School fight song. Claire retired from teaching in 1980. A longstanding member of the Whiteville United Methodist Church, Claire served in many positions, including church historian, first editor of the church newsletter, adult Sunday School class teacher, and member of many diverse boards and committees. She was an active member and past president of the local chapter of Business and Professional Women. An avid amateur genealogist who provided assistance to many others, she was a charter member of the Southeastern Genealogy Society. She was also a 20-year member of the Bladen Stars chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Claire was preceded in death by her daughter, Rachel Brooks McGirt Maxwell, her parents; and her sister, Rachel Eleanor Brooks. She was 86.