Bob and Lisa Van Beber are self-described “lake people.”
Having both grown up around lakes and boating in Alabama, they always knew they wanted to raise their three boys around a lake. So, it comes as no surprise that when Bob's co-workers Jim and Betty Roper, who had just bought a home at Reynolds Lake Oconee, encouraged them to check out Lake Oconee, Bob's ears perked up.
Bob and Lisa made a visit or two to Reynolds, absolutely fell in love with the potential that existed and were sold on the idea. Not long after, they had a contract on the table.
That was 1994 — a time when options outside the property were a tad bit limited compared to now. “You have to remember that when we bought there was no Publix or Ritz-Carlton or The Creek Club,” Bob explains. “We actually loved the quiet nature of the lake and the structured nature of the community brought by the combination of Georgia Power and Reynolds.”
And although several amenities and storefronts have been added since then, there is still plenty of area for Bob and his boys to explore. All avid outdoor sportsmen, Bob and his boys (ages 22, 19 and 16) enjoy hunting and fishing in the Lake Oconee area as often as time allows them. The family even co-owns a hunting property with a family at Reynolds that is within 15 minutes of their lake house, giving them the chance to hunt and do shooting sports during both fall and winter.
Another draw for the Van Bebers is the community’s proximity to their Atlanta-based home, where Bob leads global client delivery with a digital marketing agency in Atlanta and his wife, Lisa, is in graphic design. Their boys are all enrolled in school — two in college at Auburn and one a junior at Greater Atlanta Christian. “We loved the fact that it was an easy commute from Atlanta and afforded us the ability to use the property year-round while still having active lives with our jobs and kids’ activities being Atlanta-centric,” Lisa says.
“Our favorite weekends involve having one or two other families over to the lake,” she says. “And usually we have a house full of our kids’ friends! We do a lot of board sports and tubing with the kids, but we also enjoy a lot of float time off the dock and at the sandbar. Bob also plays a lot of golf.”
After building their rustic home on the lake, the Van Bebers found themselves entertaining friends so often that they decided on a remodel for their kitchen and basement to reflect their expanded needs.
