Mango Queen loves the island
The queen of mangos strutted her stuff this weekend during the kick-off for this year’s Mango Mania.
As a child, Melissa Jo Goodwin Koferl lived on Porto Bello Street before her parents bought a home on Stringfellow Road in Bokeelia. She attended Pine Island Elementary and, from third through eighth grades, went to Good Shepherd Luther School in North Fort Myers, graduating with honors in 1994 from Mariner High School in Cape Coral.
Koferl grew up around the island, as did her dad, Brian Goodwin is an outboard motor mechanic who “worked on all the fishermen’s boats.
“So, needless to say I was on the water almost every day. I did have several boats before I had a car.”
Her great-great grandfather ran the “run boat” for the Punta Gorda Fish Co., where he would deliver all the ice and supplies, and pick up fish.
“My Grandma said they lived all over when she was a child, all over Pine Island Sound that is. They lived where the fish were. She lived in the red fish house, she lived at the end of the Seabreeze Pier and finally settled down on Goodwin Island,” Koferl said adding, “Settling down’ was a houseboat run up on shore. Then later they were able to get an old church that they tore down, transported, and re-built on Goodwin Island.
“My grandmother also lived some of her life on Punta Blanca. But a hurricane came and actually killed most of the men (who) were trying to get all the women and children off the island into Hurricane Hole.
On Punta Blanca they used to build great big mahogany yachts on rails then just slide them into the water when they were finished,” she said. “We used to go ‘exploring’ when I was a child and part of the machine shop was still there. There are also still foundations all over the island.”
She also learned to swim in Jug Creek off Goodwin Island.
“My maiden name and my grandma’s home, and her father’s home before her,” she says of the name of the island.
“We never ate seafood from the store,” Koferl said. “We would, and still do, harvest oysters in the winter, and fish all year round. We used to be able to harvest scallops and we ate our bellies full. And shrimp….I can put some away!”
Her mother, Deborah Coleman who she calls “one of my best friends” has worked at the Pine Island Animal Hospital for more than 20 years.
And Koferl’s love of pets is apparent when one talks to her: “And yes we had pets! You name it and I’m pretty sure we had it.”
Koferl now lives with her husband, Capt. John J. Koferl Jr. in St James City. The couple spends much of their time boating, canoeing the Peace River, fishing, beachcombing and more. Of course they were married on St. Patrick’s Day four years ago.”We have a beautiful garden, and cats and chickens and bees,” she said.
Koferl has worked on Pine Island in a variety of ways and where her humor didn’t fall on deaf ears.
Her first job was at Anne’s Café washing dishes. “Oh, I was also in charge of the biscuits and gravy,” she said.
She later worked at the Bootlegger busing tables and then as a waiter. It’s where the Lazy Flamingo is now.
She moved away for about five years, working for Florida Scuba News Magazine, International Association of Nitrox and Technical Drivers Inc. in Miami and G&S Office Supply in Georgia.
“When I came back I worked for The Dock Café, and a short stint grooming dogs at the PI Animal Hospital. She’s also been employed by Pineland Marina in the ships store, Island Charters – a water taxi to North Captiva and Cabbage Key before landing at SunTrust Bank since 2006 and at the island one since 2009. The bank gives her time off to accomplished her queenly duties and participate in other volunteerism.
“I truly pride myself in being a great personal banker and investment representative for SunTrust Bank Inc. and SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.,” she said. “This economy has turned people away from banks and I’m trying very hard to help our clients either take advantage of the low rate environment by re-financing their homes, autos, and even their RV’s; and/or place their money where it is safe and protected in a vessel that can actually keep growing.
“I am very honest about money because people’s finances are never to be taken for granted, and people are very sensitive about their finances, especially now. I do not differentiate people by how much or how little money they have. I like all my clients to know that they can call me whenever they need anything…even if it is to tell me that they caught a monster fish that day…I love this Island!”
But work isn’t the only thing Koferl takes pride in.
“I volunteer and I love it!” she said. Her volunteerism includes Taste of Pine Island at the Kiwanis beer tent; From Our Hearts – Breast Fest/Pirates Ball/Octoberbreast board member; Garden Gala for the Garden Club where she did some of the grunt work and collected the money; Salvation Army Red Bucket Brigade bell ringer and of course, Mango Mania where she counts the money collected and helps in getting local growers to attend the event.
Her thoughts on what it means to her to be Mango Queen:
“The purpose of being the Mango Queen is to further help awareness of our beautiful Island and what it has to offer. Basically tourism,” she said.
She sought the title because “I truly love this Island, and the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce I feel needed some local blood, if you will, to draw together this community.
“We are finally getting some involvement from our local mango and tropical fruit growers. It was said in the last chamber newsletter, by President Jay Johnson: “‘ would like to see this event and others sponsored by island organizations coming back to the island.’
” I couldn’t agree more! Everyone needs to come to the chamber meetings so that we can truly ‘Keep it on the Island.’ But they need support to get things in motion,” Koferl said.
When one gets to know her, they find out she likes her coffee, her favorite color is royal purple – “I always knew I was meant to be draped in royal purple,” she says.
Her favorite food is mullet and grits.
“This meal will stick to your ribs for sure,” she said.
Her best friend just deployed to Iraq and the woman’s two children will live with the Koferls during the summer.
Of course in her spare time, she tends garden. Her dad and grandparents, Dorothy and Raymond Goodwin, “always had me planting something or making flower arrangements or tending to our butterfly garden, or taking cuttings and making them grow,” she said.
“I have a compost pile, and I have a worm compost pile, and we grow tomatoes, broccoli, green & red cabbage, Lots of collards, onions, etc and an herb garden to die for ! I grow everything from seed from the year before so that it only costs me the water, and I have a rain bucket to alleviate that as well.”
One of her most favored things though, is the From Our Hearts Organization which “has become something close to my heart. We have the Breastfest, and now the Pirates Ball raising money for persons in our Zip Codes through Burnt Store Road No one on our board gets a salary, and all proceeds go straight to the persons that need it most,” she said.