For the Woods family, life in Glen Oaks is full of movement, whether that means golf cart rides through the neighborhood, family travel adventures, or launching a brand-new local business. Dara and Charley Woods have built a lively household centered around family, opportunity, and embracing life’s unexpected turns.

Dara recently celebrated her 50th birthday, while Charley, 47, serves as a Master Sergeant with the Kentucky Air National Guard and is just three years away from military retirement. Together, they are raising three children: Sofie, 21; Hailey, 16; and Charley Jr., 14, along with their 108-pound Goldendoodle, Benny, who might be the most spoiled member of the family.

A Whirlwind Love Story

Dara’s path to Louisville began far from Kentucky. Originally from New York, she earned a degree in advertising from the University of Colorado and worked in corporate advertising in Manhattan before returning to school for a master’s degree in counseling. She later spent five years working as a high school guidance counselor for the New York City Board of Education.

In 2008, feeling ready for change, Dara took a leave of absence and moved to Tucson, Arizona, with a friend who was relocating there. That’s where fate stepped in. Charley, a Louisville native, was deployed to work at the southern border with the Kentucky Air National Guard. The two met one night at a bar and, despite neither of them looking for anything serious, sparks flew quickly.

“Three months later, he proposed,” Dara recalls, and by that summer, she had moved to Louisville. They married that fall, and by January 2009, they were expecting their daughter, Hailey.

Family, Community, and New Adventures

The Woods family moved to Glen Oaks eight years ago after spending a decade living near Audubon Park. Their days are filled with school, activities, and neighborhood life. Sofie, now 21, is Charley’s daughter from a previous relationship, but Dara has been part of her life since she was three years old, and they have had full custody since Sofie was eight. In their home, the distinction has never mattered—Sofie doesn’t consider her siblings “half,” and they’ve never known life without her. Today, she is a senior at the University of Kentucky studying Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles, graduating this May. She completed a summer internship with Michael Kors in Manhattan and hopes to move to New York City to pursue a career in fashion.

Hailey, a sophomore at North Oldham High School, is deeply involved in her youth group and serves on its board. She recently earned her lifeguard certification and has begun working at the Norton Commons YMCA. This summer, she will travel to Israel with her longtime sleepaway camp group for five weeks.

Charley Jr., an eighth grader at North Oldham Middle School, is a member of Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. He’s already had the chance to fly a small plane for a few minutes and often spends his free time riding his electric bike around the neighborhood. Although he does not aspire to become a pilot, he will more than likely follow in his dad's footsteps and go into the Air Force after high school.

Benny, their oversized Goldendoodle, rounds out the household. Originally expected to weigh around 50 pounds, he grew to a whopping 108 pounds! He developed a taste for gourmet meals after Dara began feeding him Costco rotisserie chicken, brown rice, and vegetables when he had stomach issues as a puppy.

Professionally, Dara works as a realtor but focuses much of her time on managing a portfolio of rental properties in Louisville’s West End. She has also partnered with Eternaturf in Norton Commons to launch an exciting new venture called the Bark Bus, a “Doggie Adventure Day Out” designed to give pups their best day ever. Keep an eye out for their bus!

The Woods enjoy the ease of life in Glen Oaks, and the convenience of riding their golf cart to nearby Norton Commons for dinner or ice cream. They also value the amenities of the neighborhood, with one of their most meaningful memories hosting Hailey’s bat mitzvah at Glen Oaks Country Club. “It was incredible to celebrate such a big moment for our family somewhere so close to home,” Dara says.

With packed schedules, ambitious goals, and countless neighborhood escapades, the Woods family cannot imagine living anywhere else.