FREEDOM OF [HAPPY] EXPRESSION.
If you’re wondering what life is really like at Warwick Forest, there’s no one better to ask than the people who have made this community their home!
Jay Arnold - I've been living in Virginia since 1969, except for a tour in Viet Nam and a tour in Thailand. I fought two wars and spent my 42-year career in aviation with the U.S. Army. Since then, I have been active in the Lions Club, specifically working with a youth leadership program. I want to continue that association and my friendships in the area when I move to Warwick Forest. Since I only live a mile and a half away, moving won't mean a big change in scenery!
What appealed to me is the plan they have - the workout facilities, walking trail, indoor pool, dining options and all the amenities as well as the size of the home I'll be sharing with my four-legged roommate, Brodie - a Yorkshire Terrier. Another thing that turned me on to Warwick Forest was their continuing care. I wouldn't want to move to Iowa or Colorado where my sisters are and put their life on hold if I ever need help. I'll have that help here.
When I heard a talk about Warwick Forest at a meeting I attended last year, I got very interested. I came in for a personal appointment with Marketing, and one thing let to another. I am very excited to be moving here.
Anne Hogge - I came to Virginia from Illinois where my husband had been a professor at the University of Illinois. He was asked by the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. to work for them, so we moved our five children and enjoyed al the history and culture of the area for a number of years. I've loved living in Virginia ever since.
Several years after my husband died, I met my second husband. He was from Newport News - a native - and a longtime employee of the Newport News Ship Yard. After he retired, we enjoyed ballroom dancing and traveling together. I've ridden a camel in Egypt and an elephant in Bangkok, as well as rafted on the Snake River.
When Ira died two years ago, I had to adjust to living alone. I have never been alone in my life, and I decided I didn't like it. I wanted to share my life with people.
I knew Warwick Forest from different sources. I had gotten notices in the mail, saw ads in the paper, and I looked to see what else was around too. I knew I wanted a continuing care retirement community. My brother in Illinois had moved into a CCRC and just loved it. When I visited friends who lived at Warwick Forest, I was impressed with it. Warwick Forest was where I wanted to be. I preferred it because it didn't seem as big as other communities.
I chose the Oak floor plan because I have a big family! If they want to come and visit it more than one at a time, I don't want them all on top of each other. So I went with the biggest floor plan. I'm looking forward to moving in. I want to move now!
Doris & Hilton Jones - Doris and Hilton Jones love people, Warwick Forest people in particular. And they already know quite a few, having served as volunteers in the assisted living library and dining room, for the Chaplain and through Doris' mother who moved to Keswick Place Assisted Living at Warwick Forest.
During their life together, both before and after retiring from the Newport News Ship Yard, they have enjoyed looking for ways to be of service. That has included taking care of five elderly family members over the years. While they did it with joy, they don't want their children to have that burden.
"Having been through that, we didn't want to leave our children with the responsibility of taking care of us or disturb their life by living with them if we ever needed to," explains Doris. "At Warwick Forest, we can maintain our freedom and continue to make our own decisions yet have the resources at hand as part of the continuum of care should we ever need assistance."
With that plan in place, they look forward to enhancing their lifestyle - one that's full with friends, church and involvement in other Peninsula activities. For example, they'll have more time now without the house and yard to devote to their hobbies.
For Doris, that means crafts. Hilton will continue his woodworking. Concerned that he would have to give up his wood shop, Doris and Executive Director Ginger Knight explored having a woodshop at Warwick Forest for everyone to enjoy - and one will be ready by the time the Joneses move in!
Marty Moul - Marty Moul came to Warwick Forest in the summer of 2006. He had lived in York County, Virginia for 50 years, coming originally as an engineer for NASA - Langley. He sold his house - didn't need it or the burden of taking of it - and began a new life that included more free time to enjoy friends, travel and family. He already knew a number of residents at Warwick Forest, and he was taken with the friendliness of everyone else as well. He moved into his new residence - a gracious, maintenance-free cottage - and feels right at home. "They let me in on the condition that I was a bridge player," he quips. "I qualified!"
I wasn't long after he moved that adventure set in. He got a call from a friend who invited him on a special, spur-of-the-moment trip to the Galapagos Islands. "I said, 'Give me five minutes to think about it!" Marty felt it was a real break to get in on such a rare trip. Since then, tourism has been suspended because of deteriorating environmental conditions. But Marty enjoyed a cruise and island hopping through a unique part of the world and feels that trip rekindled an interest in travel for him.
"I love to travel. My late wife and I traveled around the country in an RV for a number of years but didn't do much traveling out of the U.S." He notes how nice it is now to be in a community where he doesn't have to worry about the home front when he is gone. And more traveling is definitely in store, he says.
Besides playing bridge with his neighbors, Marty serves on Warwick Forest's Building and Grounds Committee and is treasurer of the Residents' Association. He is involved elsewhere as well, including his church's Relay for Life Team and in treasurer's work there. He also volunteers at Jamestown Settlement and at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton.
Marty has been hard to catch over the eight months since coming to Warwick Forest. There are so many choices on-and off-site that keep him busy. But living in a close-knit community near all that he has been involved in for several decades makes it easier to keep up with new and longtime friends and the activities he enjoys.
Roy & Roberta Rogers - Roy and Roberta Rogers were the first in line when they heard Warwick Forest was expanding. The timing of the project fit almost perfectly with their plans to "rightsize" and trade their house and yard in Newport News for a different lifestyle - one that gave him more time for tennis and woodcarving and her more time for writing family histories.
They like the concept of a continuing care retirement community and were well acquainted with Warwick Forest since Roberta's mother lived here and enjoyed our LifeCare benefits.
In addition to the peace of mind that a CCRC offers, the Rogers were taken with the Warwick Forest community - the casual friendliness and focus on a well and balanced lifestyle. Also, our location kept them in the area they had loved since the '50's, with more and more culture and conveniences continually being added to Tidewater.
"When we saw the plans for the expansion, we just couldn't wait. We were the first ones to make a deposit and reservation, and we will be the first to move in," said Roy.
As it happened, the Rogers sold their house quicker than anticipated. They opted to move into Warwick Forest even before the expansion got underway since an apartment became available. While it will mean moving twice, they decided to get started with the lifestyle they wanted, and they have enjoyed watching the steady progress of their new home.
