July 17, 2023
Almost half of the 200 independent living residents at Kendal at Lexington moved here from states other than Virginia.
How did they find us? No two stories are the same!
- Pamela Crane and her husband Vic moved to Kendal at Lexington from Los Cruces, New Mexico, in 2021. Pamela says her sister went to Oberlin College in Ohio. There is a Kendal affiliate in Oberlin, and Pamela’s sister thought she might move there one day – and did a lot of research about Life Plan Communities, particularly Kendal’s. After having a hip replacement surgery in 2021, Pamela saw first-hand how much work one spouse (her husband) had to do keeping up with the house and the pets when the other spouse is laid up following surgery, and they started talking about the possibility of moving to a Life Plan Community themselves. Since the sister had already done a lot of homework on the topic, Pamela and Vic decided to look at Kendal communities first. They came mainly to look at apartments but learned while on campus that a free-standing duplex cottage with a yard and a garage was available that could be perfect as they had two dogs and two cats. “We always imagined an apartment building,” said Pamela. “We didn’t know you could have your own cottage.” After being warmly welcomed by the friendly Kendal at Lexington residents during their visit, they decided to reserve the open cottage on Sunrise Ridge Circle during their first visit to Kendal at Lexington.
- Bob Kramer and his wife Linda lived in Chestertown, Maryland, and had no plans to move to Lexington. Bob is a Virginia Tech alum, so they thought, “maybe Blacksburg.” However, they also have grandkids and a daughter who live in Campbell County, so they thought, “maybe Lynchburg.” This begs the question, how did they look at cottages inside Kendal at Lexington? It all started with an art show in Chestertown, curated by Linda. One of the artists brought a black and white photo of a dogwood tree in winter. Linda liked it so much that she bought it, and the artist said, “If you’re ever in Lexington, come by and see my studio.” Sometime later, the Kramer’s traveled to Lexington for a horse show at the Virginia Horse Center and decided to accept that invitation to see the artist’s studio while in town. It turns out the artist’s studio was on Enfield Drive (the street that intersects with Kendal Drive), and as Bob put it, “We saw little green signs for something called Kendal.” Curiosity led them to drive in. “It looked like a little village,” said Bob. “We had just gotten on the waitlist of a place near Chestertown, but they said it would be 3 to 5 years before anything opened up.” Then in October, we got an email that a Sycamore Lane cottage was coming open. I was going to a Virginia Tech game, anyway. We came and saw the cottage, we liked it, and the rest is history.”
- Sarah Giddings and her late husband, Don, lived in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sarah says in the late 1990’s they had been looking at retirement places. “My parents were at Kendal at Longwood, and my father looked us in the eye and said, ‘you don’t have to go here, but you have to go somewhere.'” “I found Kendal on the internet (not as common then), and I said, ‘Hey, Don! Kendal is building a community in the mountains of Virginia.'” Sarah says, “We called, got the brochure, visited and reserved.” The Giddings moved to Kendal at Lexington in October of 2000. “When asked why they decided to move to a Kendal community, Sarah says, “Because of what it gives your kids. It is the best gift you can give them to not have to take care of you.”
- Kay Quirk lived in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C. She had been visiting and researching retirement communities already when a postcard came in the mail inviting her to an information meeting held in Alexandria about Kendal at Lexington. “I went to the meeting, and it was very interesting.” Kay says she came down to Lexington for a visit and came down a couple more times. “I knew I was going to have a 5-year timeframe because I had two condos to sell.” During her 5 years on the waitlist, Kay says she came down to Lexington frequently for the various programs offered at Kendal. “The town reminded me of my hometown of Cazenovia, New York, near Syracuse.” Kay says she found the people at Kendal at Lexington to be friendlier than other senior living communities she visited.
- Sandra Blanton moved to Kendal at Lexington from New York City, after working as a literary agent in Manhattan for many years. Originally from Shelby, North Carolina, Sandra had driven through the Shenandoah Valley countless times on trips home from NYC. “I would be driving right through the Shenandoah Valley, and I always loved it,” said Sandra. “I thought it was beautiful.” Sandra said she would always stop for the night about halfway between New York and North Carolina, usually staying somewhere in the Lexington-Staunton area. “I always thought this would be a lovely place to live someday.” Sandra said her friend Harrison Kinney jumped at the chance to move here when he found out Kendal was being built. He moved here in 2000. Sandra came 5 years later, when she retired in 2005. “It was a no-brainer for me to decide this was where I wanted to live, too,” says Sandra. “Kendal at Lexington has all the amenities of culture and academia, but at a slower pace and more economical than New York City. I wasn’t losing anything but gained a whole lot in coming here.”