Eagle Creek employee reveals her connection to Dover Published Jan. 9, 2026 By Airman 1st Class Liberty Kuhn 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The place where people choose to lay down their roots can make a significant impact on subsequent generations. At times, individuals may not even realize their surroundings hold significance in their family history — that was exactly the case for Leslie Estabrook. Estabrook began working at the Eagle Creek Golf Course in 2005, completely unaware of the tie it has to her family. Her then-boyfriend, now-husband, often played at the course. “It was fun to watch him, and I felt connected to it immediately,” Estabrook said. “I never knew why . . . I just loved it. I loved going out there anytime we could; I would watch him play year-round.” Frequenting the golf course as often as possible, Estabrook spent time learning the culture and the players. Her love for the regular customers grew over time, as she developed connections and came to regard them as family. “It’s always been a place I’ve felt connected to,” she said. “I felt like it was my responsibility and duty for my family, my spouse, the military, the retirees and for people who have served, to care for them and the building. That’s the least I can give back for what they’ve done and served.” Unknown to Estabrook, her heartfelt connection to the course and the golfers was more than a coincidence. In 1946, her grandparents, the Lissys, moved onto a plot of land in Dover, Delaware. They had a small house in the east corner of the property and worked the land, rotating fields of soybeans and corn as their means of living for 13 years. Carol Minor, Estabrook’s mother, spent her early childhood there. Although she desired to grow up on the property, the Air Force had other plans, Minor explained. Not too long after World War II, the military was looking to expand Dover AFB – the land was sold to the Air Force in 1959, and the Lissy family moved to Magnolia, Delaware. The land became military housing, featuring a nine-hole golf course, called Willow Creek. Eventually, Willow Creek was turned into Eagle Creek Golf Course, where Estabrook has now been working for 20 years. “I feel like it’s my home,” she said. “It’s my duty to care for it, because not only did my mother live on the land, but now I have this emotional tie to it. I’ve been around these people for so long and I know how much they love it.” The land began as the foundation of a lifestyle for a young family, then became part of a military installation, and is now a place where Estabrook can visit her family roots. “I am very proud of Leslie’s personal and professional accomplishments at Dover AFB,” Minor commented. “I believe she is where she belongs.”