Ocean Way Estates started with the Berzins family and their determined journey to America in search of safety and a better life. They escaped their homeland of Latvia in 1944 to avoid an imminent Soviet Russian invasion during World War II and spent the next several years living in displaced persons camps before being sponsored in 1949 to immigrate to the United States through the UN Relief Fund, the Lutheran Church, and the International Refugee Organization. They arrived with little money and minimal knowledge of the English language, but an unwavering commitment to building a better future. In 1949, Valdis, just 21 years old, and his new wife were the first to settle in Sussex County, Delaware. A year later, her parents followed from Latvia. The family worked tirelessly on their sponsor’s farm, saving every penny they could. After two years of hard work, they pooled their resources and purchased their own farm on Muddy Neck Road. Meanwhile, Rudolfs, Milda and 10-year Modris were sponsored in Youngstown, New York, where Rudolfs initially worked in fruit orchards. After two years of working 16-hour shifts at Union Carbide and Milda taking on domestic work, their dedication paid off in 1954. They purchased a 60-acre farm in Ocean View, from Tom Hickman, later expanding it by an additional 15 acres. With the help of his two sons, Rudolfs restored the old farmhouse, built a chicken house and farmed the land until 1971. At that point, they shifted their focus to land development, leading to the creation of Ocean Way Estates in May 1974. The development became a family-run business for nearly 40 years, with three generations helping to build many of the homes. The first lots sold for as little as $6,500. Rudolfs lived in his development until his passing at age 97 years old. Residents would see him out push-mowing his lawns. Milda lived to be 103 years old. As a tribute to their Latvian heritage, every road in Ocean Way Estates was named after a town, river or person from their beloved homeland.
The community is approaching 51 years old. The Bylaws for the Homeowners Association were originally established on July 25, 2003. The OWE Association is approaching 22 years old. Our community has been here for a while! Over this time, the community has grown, government regulations have changed, and surrounding communities have developed – all of which dictates our need to make some improvements to our governing documents. Recently, through a concerted grass-roots effort developed and conducted by the OWE Property Owners Documents Review Committee (PODRC), in concert with your Board of Directors; the revised and updated draft Declaration and Bylaws have been developed, reviewed by a community volunteer attorney, and by our HOA legal counsel. The current governance documents and the proposed draft governance documents are provided in subsequent webpages for your review.