Testimonials

As Air Force veterans, you could say service is a way of life for Marita and me. That’s one reason my wife and I were so pleased to discover that many residents of Noble’s Pond are also service-minded, and very involved in local non-profits and charitable events. Marita and I met while we were both serving in the Air Force. When it was time to retire and settle down, we had several criteria. Of course we wanted a beautiful, comfortable home in a community with plenty of amenities. We also wanted to be more or less halfway between our two families and not too far from our grown daughters who live in Maine. A big consideration, however, was finding a community near an Air Force Base. We found everything we were looking for at Noble’s Pond.

We both volunteer at Dover Air Force Base, and really enjoy keeping up with active service men and women, and meeting fellow veterans. Marita volunteers in the base Physical Therapy Clinic and I volunteer in the base Pharmacy, as well as at the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base, which is a top stop for Delaware visitors! The base needs volunteers to help provide the many services offered onsite, and we find great satisfaction in offering our hands-on assistance. We were pleased to learn that Noble’s Pond has an active veterans group, which has been a natural way for us to make friends. There are so many volunteer opportunities here. Residents and staff area involved with Meals on Wheels, fundraising for various charitable organizations, Special Olympics and other community programs. Meeting new friends who also are active volunteers and who care about helping others is one of our favorite things about living at Noble’s Pond.

Ed and Marita O’dell, Noble’s Pond Homeowners Retired, Air Force

“For us, the retirement lifestyle we wanted and the opportunity to pursue our hobbies came together beautifully at Noble’s Pond. We were living in Bucks County, Pa., so when we began researching 55+ active adult communities, we started looking close to home. Nothing seemed like the right fit, so we expanded our search and practically stumbled across Noble’s Pond by accident. I spent my entire career in the railroad industry and retired as Director of Operations for Amtrak High-Speed Rail. I have always been enamored with trains and still have a number of friends in the business. Karen and I were taking a day trip to Delaware and planned to meet up with friends on the Delmarva Central rail line in Dover. When we arrived, we saw Noble’s Pond and decided to check it out. The community appealed to us right away and I can’t say enough about how impressed we both were with the sales and building process. Everyone here has a “can do” attitude and made our transition very smooth. We selected a Woodbridge model overlooking the pond and nature trails and moved in 2017. An added bonus for us is that Noble’s Pond is about one hour each way from our two adult children.

Once we settled in, Karen and I jumped right into the active lifestyle. We bought bicycles so we can enjoy the trails, and I began to pursue my passion for photography, taking advantage of the beautiful scenery and wildlife. I’ve taken so many pictures, I’ve become known as the unofficial photographer of Noble’s Pond! We enjoy all the social activities, day trips, bowling, bingo and potluck dinners. Karen is active in a book club while I’m learning how to play the guitar. We both love how exploring our hobbies and interests keeps us mentally and physically active. For example, photography takes me places I might not have gone otherwise and gives me a reason to spend hours outdoors. Working with image processing software keeps my mind sharp and I’ve made so many friends through sharing the photos. We’ve found everything we hoped for in a retirement community here at Noble’s Pond — including an active rail line right across from the front entrance where I can easily wave to my colleagues as they go by.” 
Gary and Karen Pancavage, Noble’s Pond Homeowners since 2017

“After our sons were grown, our once-busy lifestyle became a little too quiet for my wife, Mary, and me. We thrive on social interaction, so when a friend told us how much he was enjoying living in an active adult development, we decided to explore 55+ adult communities. We only visited two properties, because when we arrived at Noble’s Pond, we knew we had found our home. Right away, we were impressed by the large central clubhouse and the fact that the community employs a full-time social director. Now that we are residents, however, it’s the people who make the difference. Everyone we’ve met truly embraces the concept of friendliness. There’s always something fun and interesting going on and we are welcomed and encouraged to join in. In a short time, I feel like I’ve known our new neighbors all my life. Noble’s Pond is simply a very nice place to be.” 
Fred & Mary Eccleston, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“We believe one of the keys to Noble’s Pond’s success is the community’s extraordinary Lifestyle Director, Colleen Ostafy. Not only does she make sure there’s always something fun happening in the community, but she also plans and manages tours and trips for residents. Recently, Colleen planned and accompanied a group of residents on an amazing trip to Alaska. As she does so beautifully, Colleen handled all of the details, and sprang into action to quickly iron out any glitches that almost always come up in group travel. For example, there were a couple of late flights and airline reservation issues, which Colleen took care of. She made sure we made our connecting flights and even accompanied one of the travelers to a medical facility very early one morning. Even as we all enjoyed this wonderful trip, Colleen remained alert and proactive to ensure the vacation was a wonderful experience for all of us. Colleen is an outstanding asset to Noble’s Pond!” 
 Carl & Becky Schultz, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“After living in New Jersey for a number of years, my wife, Patty, and I were ready for a change. We were looking for a welcoming, 55 and over community with floor plans that included single-level home options. We started looking online, and focused on Delaware because of the state’s tax advantages. When we first visited Noble’s Pond, we were immediately impressed by the large, beautiful clubhouse. Rebecca worked with us to find the perfect home, and when we saw the home plans, we knew immediately we had found what we wanted. There was absolutely no pressure to buy, just friendly, helpful assistance throughout the entire homebuilding process. The last time we purchased a home was in 1992, so moving to Noble’s Pond was a big deal for us. My parents visited the community before we moved in and agreed it was perfect for Patty and me. Now that we’ve made the move, we couldn’t be happier. One of my favorite features in the new house is the room we custom designed to accommodate my model trains. In our old home, they were in our unfinished basement. Now, they are in a beautiful room dedicated to my favorite hobby, making this truly the home of our dreams.” 
 Mark & Patty Teodoro, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“We had several criteria on our list when we decided to research 55+ communities and were delighted to find everything we wanted at Noble’s Pond. First, we were attracted to Delaware’s tax advantages. Our three adult sons and extended family members are in various cities, so access to I-95 was important to my husband, Geoff, and me. Of course, we wanted a friendly, active community with customizable homes. But our “must-have” list also included pickleball courts and friendly neighbors who enjoy the sport as much as we do. We were delighted to find everything we wanted and more at Noble’s Pond. Our beautiful new home backs up to the woods, with plenty of space for me to plant a container garden. We loved being able to customize our home. We expanded some of the rooms so that – for the first time – each of us has a room dedicated to our own interests. Geoff builds model ships and also enjoys model trains in his room, while I quilt and sew in mine. We also have plenty of space for overnight visits from our sons and grandchildren. As new residents, we are eager to start enjoying the activities and programs and are especially looking forward to joining some of the upcoming trips with our new neighbors.”
Abby & Geoff Eaton, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“When we decided to move from our New Jersey suburb to a 55+ community, we researched a number of options before we determined Delaware best fit our needs. We were drawn to the state’s tax advantages, lower cost of living and proximity to the shore, so we began exploring 55+ communities throughout the state. We were immediately attracted to Noble’s Pond because of its quality of homes, numerous activities for the residents, beautiful site and convenience to shopping, dining, recreation and medical facilities. We visited other properties, but couldn’t find anything that matched what Noble’s Pond offers. Rebecca and the team at Noble’s Pond were wonderful to work with. They really listened to us about what we wanted in our new home and helped us choose just the right options to make it happen. They made the home building process smooth and pleasant. We can’t say enough about how friendly the residents are, too. Even when we would visit to check on the progress of our home’s construction, neighbors would come by to introduce themselves. Within days of moving in, we were invited to a block party and were already making new friends. We are very happy with our decision. In our opinion, nothing else compares to Noble’s Pond.”
 Steve & Regina Andrews, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“After years of living in an older home, and after our two daughters were grown and on their own, we decided to downsize. Since we’re not yet retirement age, we had the luxury of time to look at a variety of home and lifestyle options and began researching communities online and in person on the weekends. We knew we wanted to stay relatively close to our daughters in New Jersey, and were aware of the tax benefits offered by the State of Delaware, which helped us narrow our focus to this area. A work acquaintance who lives at Noble’s Pond had raved about the community, so we drove over one day to take a look. We were very impressed with Noble’s Pond right away, and although we visited a number of other communities, we always came back to this one. We also attended several open houses at Noble’s Pond and began meeting some of the friendly residents and staff. Once we decided to move, the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. They listened to what we wanted and even had ideas we hadn’t considered. We love our brand-new home, especially the rocking-chair front porch. We enjoy having our morning coffee on the porch as neighbors walk by and wave, and love the view of the woods from the back of our home. The swimming pool is gorgeous and there are lots of activities for the residents. We made sure our new home has bedrooms for family visits, especially since we will soon be first-time grandparents to twin boys.”
 Mike & Lorie McKelvey, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

“When it was time to downsize from our Princeton, NJ-area home, we focused our search on communities in nearby Delaware. We were aware of the state’s tax advantages and wanted to live relatively near our two grown sons, both of whom still live in New Jersey. In fact, we first learned about Noble’s Pond from our son’s in-laws who had already moved into the community. We looked at several 55+ developments, but found Noble’s Pond and its amenities, especially the clubhouse and pool, very appealing. A major deciding factor for us was that Noble’s Pond allows anyone over the age of 19 to live with the 55+ homeowners. One of our sons was considering moving with us, so that option was crucial. When we toured the Woodside model home, we felt like this model would meet our needs in terms of space and design. Rebecca provided us with a blueprint of the model with all of the custom features labeled and priced. This was a tremendous help to us as we tweaked the home plans to suit our taste and budget. Although we’ve only lived here since August, we have already gotten involved with a number of activities including aerobics, golf, Bible study, book club and the bowling league. It was a big decision to move away from New Jersey, but we’ve been very happy with our new home. We made sure there’s room for family to visit – especially the new grandchild we will welcome very soon!”
 Jeff & Linda Forbes, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

We joke that we found Noble’s Pond by mistake. We are both from Bayonne, New Jersey, but moved to Delaware about 30 years ago after visiting friends. We liked the area so much, we moved here! We lived in a spacious home on a large lot, and really enjoyed it, but some health issues convinced us it was time to downsize and change our lifestyle. We were looking at other 55+ developments, but nothing really felt right. Then, while doing an online search, we stumbled across Noble’s Pond and decided to come see the place for ourselves. That was it. You could say it was love at first sight! Noble’s Pond has so much more to offer than other communities – there’s really no comparison. We picked the lot out first, because we wanted to be as close to the clubhouse as possible to take advantage of the facilities and all of the social activities. We chose The Harrington home model and were fortunate to be able to stay with our grown daughter, who lives here in Dover, while our new home was being built. The sales process was so easy and everyone here is just unbelievably friendly. It’s like we already knew everyone. Discovering Noble’s Pond was the best “mistake” we ever made.

  Lori & Stanley (Stas’) Wyzga, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

When Barry and Ilana attended the Ideal Living Show on Long Island, they were looking for ideas on simplifying their lives in preparation for downsizing “one day”. Little did they suspect that a chance encounter at the Show would start them down a road that would ultimately lead them to Noble’s Pond. The Levines met Noble’s Pond Lifestyle Director Colleen Ostafy at the Show, who told them all about life at Noble’s Pond, and invited them to come to Delaware and experience the Active Lifestyle Community for themselves.

 Barry & Ilana Levine, Noble’s Pond Homeowners

I’m about to make a cross-country journey from California to my new home at Noble’s Pond, and I couldn’t be more excited. Although I’ve spent more than half of my life on the west coast, I grew up in Philadelphia and both of my grown sons and their families are on the east coast. When my husband passed away, I began the process of finding the perfect community for this stage of my life. I narrowed down my choices to Philadelphia and Dover, since that’s where my two sons live. I was already interested in Noble’s Pond because my son and daughter-in-law, David and Diane Rickards, already live here. It was wonderful to be able to stay with them and become familiar with all Noble’s Pond has to offer before I made the commitment to purchase a home here. And, while they were very encouraging, my sons and their wives knew I needed to make up my own mind in order to be completely certain Noble’s Pond was the right place for me.

Everyone here is so friendly and welcoming, waving as they walk or drive by. The team at Noble’s Pond was extremely helpful and made the sales process so easy. I purchased the Woodside model just one street over from my son and daughter-in-law. I’m especially looking forward to enjoying all of the social activities here and hope to teach a class on how to write your memoirs. I have done it myself and it’s a very rewarding experience. I’ll certainly be adding to mine, since I’m about to embark on this exciting new chapter of my life!

 Anna Whittet-Pitts, Noble’s Pond Homeowner