Anne Noyes: Across the Atlantic, Into Community

Anne Noyes never planned to go to Iowa. In fact, she never planned to go to America. She grew up in Oxford, England, surrounded by stone streets, tidy gardens, and the rocky coastline she still remembers with a soft smile. Yet life has a way of nudging us toward places we never expected, and for Anne, a single brave decision in her twenties set the course for everything that followed.

“I came to America before I was 30,” she says, her voice carrying both certainty and the gentle lilt of Oxford that has never left her. She crossed the Atlantic after accepting a marriage proposal, leaving behind her sisters, her childhood home, and the familiar rhythm of English life. On the other side, she found a new country, a new family, and a lifetime of stories.

Anne’s life in America unfolded through family, four boys, a husband serving in the Air Force, and moves that took them from Delaware to Virginia and beyond. Her days were full, not with titles or accolades, but with the quiet work of raising children and building a home wherever the Air Force sent them. She laughs when she talks about her early jobs. “I made wedding cakes,” she recalls. “I worked in a bakery once.” But most of her energy went to her boys, her church, and her craft.

Knitting has been part of her life since childhood. “When I first went to school in England, the two girls knitted,” she says. “That was your first time at school.” Decades later, she still knits, quilts, and makes rugs—her hands moving with the same steady rhythm she learned as a girl. Creativity never left her; it simply adapted to each new chapter.

Faith threads through Anne’s story as quietly and consistently as her knitting needles. She attended Brethren churches in Waterloo and stayed connected to congregations wherever she lived. Even now, friends from church still stop by Creekside to visit.

Her family remains close, even across states and oceans. One son visits her every day. Her sisters, still in England, call her on WhatsApp to share updates from across the Atlantic. “One of them has 28 children and grandchildren,” she says with a grin. The numbers astonish her, yet their connection remains strong. Distance has never erased her relationship with Anne. It has simply changed how she stays in touch.

Anne’s path to Creekside Living came through family once again. After spending time with her sons in Ames and navigating injuries and relocations, she settled in Grundy Center. “I’ve been here a year or more,” she says. “I like it here.”

She appreciates the people, activities, and friendships she’s made. Bingo is a favorite. So are puzzles, which “keep my brain working,” she says, and the bookshelves she enjoys. She knits, reads, visits with friends, and welcomes family who stop by. “I keep busy,” she says simply. And she does. Creekside offers her space, community, and comfort—things she values more than ever.

Anne still misses England’s coastline. She talks about Brighton’s rocky beaches, the half-hour trips to seaside entertainment, and the ocean she once lived near. “I miss the ocean,” she says, and the words land with tender honesty. But she also smiles when she talks about her life now, including her sons, friends, knitting, church connections, and the steady rhythm of days spent in a place that feels safe and familiar.

Her story isn’t about leaving home. It’s about discovering that home can exist in more than one place. It can span oceans, decades, and every season of life. For Anne, home is where people gather, where friendships form, where family visits, where yarn becomes quilts and rugs, where faith endures quietly, and where conversations fill the room. Home is wherever love has settled. And today, that place is Creekside.