Our Mission Bell-Trade Winds Staff
We are proud to introduce our Mission Bell-Trade Winds staff to you. Our staff is ranked as the most friendly and helpful of any in the Rio Grande Valley. Anyone who calls our office or who stays with us can vouch for that. They pride themselves in offering excellent customer service and they deliver. We could not ask for a better crew to help serve our customers.
Almost everyone in the Resort knows these two hardworking happy faces. Cynthia and Scot have worked and lived at our Resort for four years. This will be their third season as Resort managers. They love the Resort, our residents and south Texas. Like many of you, they have chosen South Texas as their home. We are so pleased to have such a dedicated couple to work with us as our managers. They return for their second year as managers for the 2010-2011 season.
They are truly extraordinary people. Nobody on our staff works harder or knows more about our Resort than these two. They know our Resort inside and out, having worked on everything from the pools, electricity, water sewer over the last two years. The quality of their work is excellent. Their dedication to our Resort and customers is unsurpassed.
Both have extensive business experience. Scot is a former banker and farmer. Cynthia worked in the restaurant industry out of college serving as an assistant manager for a major restaurant chain. She later became a probation officer. After that, she began working for her church organizing charity events and assisting with their computers and financial statements.
Originally from Kansas, they moved to South Texas to minister to the poor in Mexico, which they do on a regular basis. Each Wednesday, they travel into Mexico with food and essentials for a poor communities. We commend them for their service and are very pleased to have them as part of our team. We could not find a nicer or more capable couple to serve your needs.
Esperanza "Hope" Gomez Hope Gomez has been with us in housekeeping for over 18 years. She is loved by our residents for her friendly and outgoing personality. Hope is single (but taken). She has a close family and enjoys spending time with her mom and sister. She also loves to dance. She is bilingual and is a great help to us when we need a little help with our Spanish. We appreciate her hard work and dedication over the years. We are pleased to have her as part of our permanent staff.
Javier Ramos
Javier is our senior maintenance man and grounds keeper. He has been with us for over 8 years. He is married and has two boys and a girl. His boys are grown and his daughter attends Sharyland high school. He has two grandchildren. He does so much for our Resort. He is very reliable and keeps our grounds looking ship-shape. Javier is the one you can thank for taking excellent care of our salt water pools and keeping them sparkling clean. We are glad he is back with us for another year.
Jesus Javier Ramos "J.R." Maintenance
J.R. is our "Junior" maintenance man; no pun intended. J.R. is Javier's son. We have affectionately nicknamed Jesus "J.R." to cut down on confusion. J.R. is beginning his third year at the Resort and is a very hard worker. He is married and has a new baby boy named Jesus Javier Ramos, III and a daughter.
Audrey Fedders
Activities Director
Audrey is our Resort Activities Director. She is truly the "Quarterback" of our team because she makes sure all of you have a good time. Audrey is creative and full of activity ideas. She gets everyone "moving" and involved at the Resort. Her good nature infects everyone around her. One of the best things any resident can do is volunteer a little of their time to work in activities with Audrey. Her office is located on the Trade Winds section of the Resort.
Audrey and her husband, Mike, have been involved in the Resort since first coming 8 years ago. They have been married since they were "kids" and are two of the nicest and hardest working people you will ever meet. Mike helps out a lot as he and Audrey also put up your mail during the season. Being around Mike and Audrey is like having a ray of sun shining directly on you.
She and Mike are two of our most popular residents, along with their relatives, that they brought along with them. We could not have found a more perfect activity director than Audrey and our residents agree. Audrey completes our permanent staff perfectly. She is the most friendly and energetic activities director in the entire area. We just cannot say enough nice things about her. When you meet her, you will soon see why.
Patricia Pascoli
Pat has been work camping for 6 years and has done a variety of things in that capacity. She is a great asset to our work camping family because she has experience in being an office manager, camp host, housekeeper, restroom and pool maintenance, lunch and breakfast cook, and as a "cheerleader" in 1880s costume for arriving bus tours at a stage coach attraction.
In her spare time, she also finds time to volunteer. She recently returned from a trip to Ecuador where she "zip-lined" her way across the rain forest. She also has volunteered at an animal rescue shelter and at a Habitat for Humanity Build. She loves getting the job done right. She is a real people person that looks forward to making our guests happy. Welcome back Pat. We are glad to have you join us for a second time.
Jerry is
an Army Veteran, he served actively for 6 years with assignments in Korea,
Germany and the US. After his second honorable discharge, he pursued a career
as a Computer Programmer. In 1990, Jerry was shot during an armed robbery at
his place of employment and suffered a spinal cord injury. He can walk but
don't expect him to run sack races with you! Cynthia recently retired as a
house manager for a doctor. She devoted the years before that to raising their
children. She also enjoys reading and Facebooking with the family. She is an
avid walker and likes to exercise for her health. She can't resist a yard sale,
hoping to find that deal of the century.
Jerry & Cynthia have 5 adult children scattered across 3
different states, and they have 3 grandchildren. They really enjoy spending as
much time as they can with the grand kids. They like to ride their bicycles
around the campgrounds that they visit and they also have 2 Honda Ruckus 50cc
scooters. They use them to explore nearby towns and the surrounding area. Some
of their greatest scooter adventures include touring all 67 counties of
Alabama in 2008, riding the full length of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
in 2009 and they rode and camped along the entire length of the Blue Ridge
Parkway and Skyline Drive in 2010!
Geo caching and metal detecting are some of their other hobbies.
They both have always been very active with the church in teaching classes,
helping with VBS, WMU, Brotherhood, ushering, and anyplace else they were
needed. Jerry & Cynthia operate RV Outreach Ministries and are
“Missionaries to America's RV Parks & Campgrounds”.
George Rita McClellan
Rita has degrees in Spanish and Creative Writing and taught Spanish for 8 years at their local community college. She has also taken many art classes and taught an art class at the Branson Missouri campground where they worked. Together they taught a one-day seminar on Basic Computer Use.
George is interested in flying, computers, radios, and modifying / repairing our 5th wheel. He is a great kit builder having built a kit home, TV, Armature radios, Black powder rifles, airplanes, and computers. In the 70's, they bought a small hobby farm, where they planted corn, beans and a few other crops as well as raising some critters and experimenting with solar energy and other alternative fuels.
Rita enjoys painting and photography. At some of the campgrounds where they have stayed, Rita helped organize exercise classes and taught art, craft, digital photography and self-defense classes (utilizing some of her Taekwando Black-belt knowledge).
The McClellans are originally from Indiana, but have called the Asheville NC area home since 1984. They have been full time RVer's since late 2009, working in Branson, MO, Clewiston, Florida and the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard. They enjoy exploring new areas, meeting new people and experiencing the local culture. Rita and George like to bike, hike and walk as well as explore new areas. In the summer, they enjoy visiting their 2 year old grandson in Charlotte NC. We cannot wait to meet them.
Chip & Janette Borowski
Chip and Janette Borkowski will be joining us as camp hosts next season. They are presently living in Conroe, TX. They have been happily married for 33 years. They have a son and daughter-in-law and a beautiful grand-daughter they love so much.
Chip was born in Ohio. He moved to Texas in 1976 and started a construction company , which he owned for 30 years. He really loved his work and built 100’s of homes in the Conroe/Woodlands area.
Janette was born in Ohio too and also moved to Texas in 1976. She was employed by Bank of America for 21 years. Seeking a change, she went back to school and found a second rewarding career with a local dentist.
Having just become full time RVers in October of 2010, they are looking forward to having a great time exploring our beautiful country, meeting new people, and experiencing new adventures. Their interests include travel, hiking, fishing, going to the beach and meeting new friends. Say howdy to the Borkowskis and make them feel welcome.
He assisted in the Consumer Advice Bureau and as Computer Technician for a computer club in Western Australia while Pat has spent the past 5 years in Housekeeping for a Resort Hotel In Australia. She also spent 2 years as a Detailing Specialist.
Marj & Harry Sipple
Toni & Eddie have been married for over seven years. They hit the road as full-time RVers soon after their wedding vows and traveled throughout the western United States with a couple short stints east of the Mississippi. They have had many work camping opportunities including camp hosts in Oklahoma and Texas, canoe guides just up the road at Santa Ana NWR, and Visitor Center Hosts in South Dakota and Arizona. For the past three years they have spent the summers in Yankton, South Dakota working for the Corps of Engineers.
Working in South Dakota allows them to be with their seven children and sixteen grandchildren. They love country dancing, golf, eating and exploring new places. Eddie is a genealogist and has traced a branch of his family back to 0010 A.D. Toni loves crafts, photography, fishing, playing cards and finding odd little shops to explore.
Their "yet to do" bucket list includes traveling in Europe, traveling the eastern half of the U.S., learning Spanish, exploring Canada, writing a book on family history, and living to see great-grand children.
David and Christa Bath
We welcome back Christa and David Bath for a second season. David will be joining our maintenance crew. David and Christa are a very outgoing couple. They like to meet new people and have a great time in their RV travels. They are joining us when they finish their current position as a camp host in Tenkiller Lake, Oklahoma.
David has worked in maintenance all his life, first with the railroad, then as an hourly employee and in supervision for electrical generating power stations. Christa has worked in the grocery business as a meat cutter and then in the hotel / motel business in the laundry, and then as the dining room person.
After retiring for the fourth time we were ready to travel and have found it very rewarding. We are looking forward to joining the staff at Mission Bell very much for this winter season.
Butch and Marie Stephens
Butch and Marie are returning work campers for the sixth season. Butch keeps our laundry machines running and Marie helps out in activities. Butch hails from Indiana and Marie from Georgia. They have 4 kids and 16 grand kids. Before retiring, Butch and Marie were photographers before retiring and owned a photo lab. They loved shooting weddings and graduations.
Roy & Ruby Sparks
We welcome Judy to our office staff this season. Judy was born in South Dakota. Her husband, Ron, grew up in Texas. They have been married for 30 years. Judy is newly retired after working over 30 years in military housing for the Air Force federal civil service. Ron, served in the Air Force for over 20 years as a Deputy Fire Chief. Like most military families, they moved a number of times (stateside & Europe). They claim Colorado as their home these days.
In July 2010, the Dickson's hit the road as fulltime RVers. During their first year, they traveled to and through 34 states, enjoying every mile. They have sons, one of whom is married. Wherever their RV has taken them, they have enjoyed seeing the sites on their Harley Davidson Trike. They both enjoy the outdoors, seeing new places, and meeting people. They love being fulltime RVers because it provides them with those opportunities.
Before retiring, they also spent three years breeding Miniature Schnauzers with a small kennel operation. They still miss their six Schnauzers and all those beautiful puppies, but are looking forward to their first experience in a resort setting. They are pleased to have the opportunity to meet people and make new friends at our Resort.
Bob & Snookie will be joining our Resort Grounds & Maintenance Crew for the first time this year. They hail from Delaware. The Quinn's have been married 30 years and have been full-time RVers since 2006.
