Karen Brown
“I couldn’t have made a better choice.”
While her husband was facing his second battle with lung cancer, Karen Brown knew she wanted to live near one of their five sons. The Browns had lived in Danbury, Connecticut for 27 years. During a visit to one of their sons who lives in Bethesda, they heard that Fox Hill was going to be built. It seemed that it would have everything they wanted, so they put down a deposit and didn’t look anywhere else.
After her husband passed away three years later, Karen moved to Bethesda in 2008 and saw Fox Hill – and her new senior condominium – for the first time. “I think I couldn’t have made a better choice,” she says. “It’s wonderful for a person who is living by themselves because you don’t have to be alone. You can be in your condo if you want privacy, or you can just go out in the hall and there is always someone to talk to.”
Karen found it very easy to make friends at Fox Hill. She describes the owners as well-educated world travelers who are friendly, welcoming and caring. “They’re very interesting people. They have a big variety of life experiences,” she says. “Everybody is family. It’s not just the residents here; it’s also the staff. They’re amazing.”
A Rich, Full Retirement Life
It didn’t take long for Karen to settle into her new life at Fox Hill and become an active member of the community. Currently a member of the Covenants Committee, the Homeowner’s Council and the Activities Committee, she is also president of the Women’s Club of Bethesda.
Karen had an art studio at her home in Danbury, and she is pleased to have a place to pursue her passion for painting in Fox Hill’s art studio. She enjoys having the freedom and space to work on her landscape paintings without bringing the mess into her condominium. She also enjoys the monthly art classes and weekly open studio sessions with other artists.
An Extraordinary Lifestyle
“My kids love to come here and my grandchildren adore it,” says Karen, who has 13 grandchildren. “They love to come here and have dinner.”
Karen loves the conveniences of having a bank, a fitness center and a full-service spa and salon at Fox Hill. She jokes that she really only needs to leave to buy groceries occasionally. “It’s so carefree not to have to worry about a house and the roof and the driveway and the boiler,” she explains. “People should come earlier and enjoy it. I have not heard anyone say they wished they had stayed in their house.”
