New Neighbors

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Let me tell you about a couple of young kids  working at Houston’s on the Plaza. One night after working the late shift, they shared Houston’s famous apple walnut cobbler and talked until the wee hours of the morning…. six months later they were married.  

For two decades, Sonya dedicated herself to raising their three daughters. Sonya always wanted to be a Mom first. While her early days had her doing catering with her sister, the girls took  top concern. Recognizing Sonya’s love of cooking, her three daughters directed her to start “Sugar Babies Bakery,” where they made hand- crafted desserts sold throughout the metro. Liv (25) lives in Brookside and works at the Red Door Grill, she graduated UMKC in Education. Caroline (22) is a senior at the United States Air Force Academy, where she will graduate in June as a 2nd Lieutenant. Julia (20) currently lives in Burbank with  her fiancé and will soon be moving to Kansas City. A wedding is being planned at Lance and Sonya’s home on October 7th. 

Lance is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for the past 25 years. He is  completing his first year as a Rockhill Homes Association Board member. Sonya is getting back into classes  with friends and is in the process of making French macrons. Sonya welcomes all. 

When it comes to special interests and  hobbies, both are avid music enthusiasts, and are frequent guests at The Black Dolphin and The Phoenix. They have an extensive vinyl collection of Jazz and Blues. Lance’s hobby of playing bass guitar, which he has been doing since high school, allows him to sit in for a set or two when called upon.  Sonya currently works at Wilson Lighting  as a consultant, and is an active member of the Master Gardener Program Missouri Chapter. 

For years Lance and Sonya would visit the Nelson, and each time Sonya requested a  drive through the Rockhill Neighborhood  dreaming of one day restoring an old historic  home. Today Sonya’s dream has come true,  as she and Lance have been doing just that. 

Welcome to the neighborhood, Lance and  Sonya! 

Charlie Burt and Savannah Niemeyer are  both lifelong residents of Kanas City. When they decided to buy their first home together, they both wanted to find an older house with a lot of character. Rockhill checked all the boxes  on their list. When 711 Emanuel Cleaver hit the market they pounced on the opportunity. With a little luck and strong guidance from their friend and realtor, they found their dream home. 

Burt and Savannah are two very talented professionals. Savannah has an associate degree in graphic design from Valley where she studied web development and user experience design. Charlie on the other hand holds a BFA in Print, Paper and Book Arts  from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. 

Savannah currently works as a Product  Designer for FanThreeSixty, a local tech  startup primarily focused on developing apps  for sports teams. Charlie is a full-time designer specializing in brand design, restaurant and  bar menu system development and most  recently, lettering and calligraphy.  

Savannah is a life-long runner, completing numerous half marathons and 10ks, with aspirations to complete a full marathon. In her spare time she enjoys playing chess and taking care of too many plants. You can find  her in the evening hanging on the back deck  with a good cocktail.  Charlie spends a good chunk of his time  addled with minor injuries picked up at the  various city rock climbing gyms. He enjoys  playing recreational soccer, collecting  records, contacting UFO’s with his synthesizers and reading long fantasy epics. 

Love of Travel brings them together to new places try to do at least one international trip a year. 

Currently, their household is run by 3 indoor cats, Phoebe, the 17-year-old Matriarch who keeps a watchful eye on Sharkey and Crispin, 8-year-old tomcats. To say the least they run the house and their favorite activity is catching treats thrown across the room. 

Charlie and Savannah have spent twelve  years together and two years of being  engaged. They plan on getting married this  September in Theis Park, further cementing  the Rockhill neighborhood into their continuing  legacy. Welcome! 

Years ago Tom Winter rented a home where the Kauffman Foundation is now located. When  he left that home, he hoped to one day return and buy a home on Pierce Avenue. About a  year ago that wish came true when he  purchased 532 Pierce Avenue from Karen  Moninger. Tom shares his home with his cat,  Sox, a 10-year-old Tabby. 

Tom was born in Waterloo, Iowa. His parents  moved the family to Kansas City when Tom  was in the first grade. Tom graduated from  UMKC with a BA in English Literature and in  Philosophy. He has worked in various  Information Technology jobs and spent 33  years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas  City. Since retiring recently, Tom keeps  himself occupied volunteering with various  institutions such as The Rabbit Hole, the KC  Parks Department and the World War One  Museum, to name a few. Tom has been  applying his technology by revamping the  RHA website with Lisa Hickok. 

Tom has two great kids, Amilia (31), an  English teacher at the KC Arts Academy and  Joshua (28), a cook.Tom is looking forward to retirement, staying  active, supporting the neighborhood and  surrounding institutions. Welcome to the  neighborhood, Tom! 

Jen and Derek Elder moved in at 4700  Rockhill Rd in the summer of 2021. The  Elders became Kansas Citians after Derek  was transferred here. They relocated to  Kansas City, from North Carolina which was  close to Jen’s family. Derek’s family lives in  central Illinois. They met in January of 2002  in Russian class at the University of  Illinois. Jen inadvertently gave Derek her  phone number during a class exercise not  thinking he might call. Derek played rugby  at U of I, and occasionally still practices with  the Kansas City Blues. Since moving to KC  Jen has become a diehard Chiefs fan and  both are loyal Cubs fans. 

Derek is an Army officer stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Jen works from home where  she directs the Federal Government’s  Homeless and Housing Resource Center for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health  Services Administration (SAMHSA). Soon after moving into the Crossroads  District the Elders began exploring the metro area and were awestruck by the  history and feel of the Rockhill Neighborhood. Rockhill stood out in contrast to many other parts of the  city. They have really enjoyed meeting  such a great collection of residents and a neighborhood with a real sense of  community.

Jen and Derek enjoy the performing arts at  the KC Rep, the Kauffman and the Music  Hall. 

Welcome Jen and Derek we are happy to  have as a part of our unique community!