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The minute Frank and Gloria Koepp passed through the entrance at Royal
Highlands, they experienced a certain warmth. And no, it wasn’t heat
from Florida’s sun; it was the overall appearance of the community that
made them feel as though they had arrived at their new home.
The Koepps have been residents in the community for only about 7 months,
but they have already made many friends. They have found their new
neighbors to be very warm and friendly.
Gloria was born in Clinton, Iowa and Frank was born in Compton,
California. Frank’s parents brought him to Iowa when he was very young.
After meeting and marrying Gloria, they moved to Thornton, Colorado.
Frank was employed by Western Electric, AT&T, and Lucent Technologies, a
spin-off of AT&T. Over the 30 years of his employment, he started in the
printing dept, then worked in the computer dept. From there, he became a
Systems Analyst and was involved in the company’s production control
before retiring. During his spare time, he also worked as a cook for an
assisted living facility that cared for about 65 elderly people. He
enjoyed meeting and visiting with the residents. Gloria also worked at
Lucent Technologies for a short time, in their customer care dept.
If you visit the Publix supermarket located just south of Leesburg, and
you see a friendly, smiling employee that is wearing a very unusual hat,
it is probably Frank. He works there about 30 hours a week, and loves to
chat with the customers as he helps them with their groceries. Gloria
uses her sewing skills to make some of the more unusual hats that Frank
wears to work.
rank and Gloria are the proud parents of 5 children, all boys. Four of
them now live in Colorado, and one lives in Ohio. They have 2 grandsons
and 2 granddaughters, and one great granddaughter. In addition to
raising their 5 children, they served as foster parents for about 10
years, and have helped in the raising of over 50 children that were
entrusted to their care by county social services.
 Central
Florida attracted Frank and Gloria because they found that it was more
economical to settle here, and they liked the fact that residents in
this area can easily visit both the East Coast and the West Coast. Frank
used the computer to search for developers in the area, and decided to
visit Florida for the first time after doing this research. Their first
visit to Royal Highlands was all they needed, and after purchasing a
lot, they rented in the community as their York model home was being
constructed. They were also impressed by the fact that the homes in the
community are all different, not “Cookie Cutter” look-alikes, and that
the residents appeared to be very active. They saw a lot of people
outside, walking, riding bikes and socializing. When it was time to move
in, some of their future neighbors came to lend a hand. One of their new
neighbors actually said to them, “Now that you’re here, we are your
family”’. Talk about a warm welcome!
Now that the Koepps are somewhat settled in, they enjoy walking, riding
their bikes, collecting contemporary art, and exploring different parts
of Central Florida. Gloria also enjoys sewing, cooking, baking and reads
a variety of subjects. They still enjoy that warm feeling that they
sensed when they first entered the community, and they continue to meet
and make new friends here in Royal Highlands.
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