SUZY BORLAND 

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Life at the Oconomowoc Lake began in 1954 for Suzy Borland and her family. A Chicago native, Suzy and her family started coming up to Wisconsin for the summers and fell in love with the beautiful, pristine Oconomowoc Lake. When the old Hamilton place went on the market, her parents snapped it up for a song and thus their family became one of the Oconomowoc Lake Club’s most cherished next-door neighbors.

To Suzy, being near the water is a way of life--she counts herself lucky to have always been able to live next to oceans or lakes, particularly here in Wisconsin. Many of her fondest memories are of the summers and winter holidays that her family spent at the lake. As a child, she attended the OLC’s day camp where she has wonderful memories of picnic lunches under the trees, swimming, canoeing, playing rowdy games of tennis and making lots of arts and crafts.

When she was a teenager, Suzy and her friends would roam freely all over the OLC during the day, playing tennis, water skiing, canoeing, zipping around the lake in their sailboats, and taking dance lessons up in the ballroom. On Saturday nights, she recalls going out to listen to the music that wafted over to their yard from the parties that the OLC would throw for its adult members, fervently wishing she were old enough to attend.

Nowadays she’s a vibrant fixture on the OLC social scene and a regular on the tennis court. She and her family have continued to come up every year for the summer and winter holidays. In fact, five generations of her family have now created their own memories and fun at the OLC.

To her, the OLC has such appeal because it is a bit off-the-radar—a little slice of paradise that is outside of time and place. It boasts a tight-knit community that gives a feeling of warmth, safety, and comfort to each and every one of its members. She values that the OLC is a place for the whole family with a wide range of activities and programs that are hands-on and planned with care.

One of Suzy’s favorite aspects of the OLC is its dining. She and her family come almost every Friday for the Fish Fry. The Dockside is also a favorite for its freshly made Cobb and Chicken Caesar salads on hot summer days. She loves the new direction Chef Cole is taking the cuisine and how flexible he and his kitchen are with special requests for entertaining guests.

Above all, she loves the people who are members here at the OLC and firmly believes that they are the true heart of the OLC. They are the ones who helped put everything back together when the fire devastated the original lake club lodge—a tragedy with a personal ring as it happened on her father’s birthday.

She would like to see the younger members start to take over and have their children enjoy the club. She wants them to be as invested in the future of the OLC as she is. Her hope is that the traditions and community that the OLC provides will be preserved and passed on through the younger generation of members. The OLC is a part of her family’s roots, an indelible part of their history—and their future.