A little something…Extra

Winter Garden is truly one extraordinary place, and these are just nine of its most extraordinary people.

By Heather Anne Lee

Photos by Fred Lopez

Stephanie Bowman

EXTRAORDINARY MISSION

Fifteen years ago, Stephanie took a truckload of groceries to Zander’s Park and went to work passing out food. No one knew who she was, but that didn’t matter. When the groceries were gone, she sat there listening to those who needed it, passed out hugs to all who would accept them, and dished out endless servings of hope.

“Every day, somebody is out there waiting to be helped, needing to be helped. I want them to see that glimmer of hope and to know they’re not alone.”

That drive, that determination, is Stephanie’s own pain transformed into purpose. To look at her now, you wouldn’t guess she had ever been destitute and homeless, dumpster diving for food. You wouldn’t imagine that the person who previously struggled with crack-cocaine and alcohol addiction had ever temporarily lost custody of her two daughters. And you certainly wouldn’t know Stephanie is battling cancer yet again, 15 surgeries and counting.

Instead, she lives with vivacious energy, optimism, and joy, delivering daily on the promise she made to herself and others when she founded One Heart for Women and Children in 2004: that no other woman would ever be stranded, without help or without hope.

And deliver she has: six million meals and growing. Sometimes all it takes is one heart to make a world of difference.

Jason & Jana Shelfer

EXTRAORDINARY DREAMERS

There’s something about Jana and Jason that lights up a room: their energy, their antics, their zest for life. (It could also be the audacious outfits, quirky coffee cups, or endless “bad” puns.) But what’s truly interesting about this powerhouse couple is that they are creating this extraordinary, outrageous, adventurous life by design. And they are helping others do the same.

They call it “Living Lucky,” because to them, lucky is a mindset. It’s choosing to believe in yourself and believe that your circumstance is ultimately leading you toward success.

Jana, for example, believes she is incredibly lucky to be living life in a wheelchair. Her disability allows her to discover incredible new abilities, like winning the gold medal in basketball at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, or like hosting an award-winning radio show. She’s an artist, pianist, speaker, writer, podcaster, skydiver, dancer, and green-smoothie evangelist.

What's your dream? Jana and Jason have collected more than a thousand dreams from people around the world. There's still room for yours.

Strike that. The green smoothie is Jason’s secret weapon. He’s relentless about health, spirituality, gratitude, greatness, personal development, and helping others. The bigger the adventure, the greater the challenge, the more excited Jason is to tackle it.

This year, Jana and Jason are taking Living Lucky on the road, daring people to give voice to their dreams and literally write them down on stickers. “The power of that is transformative!” says Jana. “When you are lucky, good things happen to you. Good fortune follows you. You just have to choose it; you have to dream it. And we’re so lucky to be able to help people do just that.”

Thorp Thomas

EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTOR

It all started with Grand Funk Railroad. “I ran the needle right off my turntable playing that live album,” Thorp remembers. “It was the first album I ever got. I still have it.”

But what truly got him into music was his sister, who brought home the very first Beatles album. “We’d play that album and rocked like we were the Beatles for hours. I used aluminum pie plates for cymbals and boxes for drums, and my sisters used fireplace in- struments for guitars. That was the hook; I wanted to be a rock star.”

That never happened, although music has always been his passion. He’s accumulated more than a thousand titles and a litany of other memorabilia, includ- ing one album cover signed by all the Beatles and another signed by all the original members of Queen. Thorp still drums, plays a little guitar, and is currently learning the key- board. But what he’s most excited about right now is Boyd Street Radio, a pas- sion project that weaves his extraordinary and expan- sive collection into a 24/7 homage to rock and roll. It’s the soundtrack to Pammie’s Sammies, and hopefully all of Central Florida.

Chloe Johnson-Brunson

EXTRAORDINARY NEIGHBOR

Haven’t met Chloe yet? Just wait. Chances are, she’ll find you on a random weekday, sharing a flower, a smile, and a hand-written note of encouragement. “My goal every day is to make one person smile, whether I know them or not,” says the 34-year-old wife and mother of four.

It’s a simple yet profound mission she has named I AM HER. The idea is rooted in a childhood memory: “I was going to my Nana’s. At some point, Nana would invite all the women inside. She’d have pillows and blankets all over the floor, and every woman no matter their age would gather to talk. She created a space to be safe, to lift up one another, to encourage one another, to laugh with one another.”

In 2019, Chloe hosted her first I AM HER circle, where 11 women gathered in a space much like the one Nana had made. And while it was an immediate success, the pandemic put a stop to any plans for future events.

So Chloe took I AM HER to the streets, delivering flowers and notes of encouragement to neighbors and strangers. “It was just a way for me to keep reminding women that we matter. And when we come together, we can do great things.”

For I AM HER, greatness means expanding community outreach through reviving the empowerment circles and launching a new Financial Literacy Workshop. It also means taking an active role in East Winter Garden’s community improvement projects via One Winter Garden and the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

“When a community looks good, with the plans they are trying to do, you’ll start feeling good not only about your neighborhood but about yourself as well,” says Chloe.

Kenneth Armour

EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER

Stage Actor. Sketch Comedian. Veteran. Mailman. Artist. Father. Entrepreneur. In his 75 years, there’s not much Kenneth Armour hasn’t experienced or done. “But that’s the point, right?” he says with smile and a deep chuckle.

There was the time Janis Joplin asked him for a bottle and a boy. (You read that right.) The time he was backstage with Jimi Hendrix. The time he took a road trip with Drew Carey. There’s a disastrous story of a McDonald’s commercial and a faulty suit. The time his blue eyes almost prevented him from landing the alien role for a science fiction TV movie. The fact that he’s most proud of the Anton Chekhov play he performed at the Cleveland Playhouse in the 1980s.

Not bad for a Scottish immigrant who came to the US on the Queen Elizabeth at age 4.

Young Ken grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, “home of the rock and roll hall of fame,” he’ll tell you. And indeed, music colored a good portion of his early life. “I have a great ear, but a terrible singing voice.”

His deep vibrato—and ability to channel his Scottish brogue—was perfect for radio and broadcast, however. So after his time in the Navy, Ken went to school for broadcasting, did a little work as a DJ, and ended up doing radio commercials and voiceover work.

Kenneth is proud of his Scottish heritage, proudly donning the stripes and cap his grandfather wore, shown center with the X ball.

He doesn’t like to talk about his military career much; however, memories of carrier landing training and upside-down Top Gun-style sightings of the Serpent Mound do crop up in conversation. As does the time he had to take the wheel on a Virgin Airship while the pilot took a bathroom break.

Today Ken is intent on enjoying life and bringing joy to the people he meets. Whether that’s with a colorful story or a more colorful pair of silk pants (his newest entrepreneurial endeavor), Ken delights in delighting others. And perhaps that’s his most extraordinary adventure yet.

Barbara Cruciger

Dec. 31, 1928–March 7, 2022

EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY

Winter Garden’s First Lady left an indelible mark on the community we call home. Her extraordinary life shattered glass ceilings globally, paving the way for a new generation of women to pursue their dreams, while also setting the stage, quite literally, for a more culturally rich community.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on New Year’s Eve 1928, Barbara attended the prestigious Ellis School, before moving to Penn State where she was one of the first women to earn a B.A. degree in economics. It was in college that she met Bert Roper, a native Floridian doing graduate work for his master’s degree. That blind date led to marriage in 1950, after which the couple returned to Winter Garden where they raised four children, Becky, Edward, Preston, and Charlie.

That said, transitioning to Florida was no easy feat. Trading the culturally rich city of Pittsburgh for Winter Garden, population 2,100, was a shock to Barbara. The 5-foot, 2-inch powerhouse would spend the better part of her lifetime working to enrich the community she now called home.

Barbara’s impassioned community service and notable achievements include:

• Founding member of the West Orange Junior Service League;

• Founder of the Adult Literacy League in Orlando, using the Laubach Literacy “Each One Teach One” method;

• Trustee for Laubach Literacy International, Syracuse, NY;

• Founder of Winter Garden’s Little Library;

• Member of the board of the Central Florida YMCA in 1967;

• Starting the West Orange YMCA in 1971, later renamed the Roper YMCA;

• Chairman of the National Board of the YMCA of the USA in 1991, the first woman in the Y’s history to hold the position;

• A two-year term presiding over the first YMCA National Assembly in Anaheim, CA. For many years, Barbara was the only woman to head that 16 million-member notfor-profit association.

• Member of the World Alliance of YMCAs, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

• Inducted into the National YMCA Hall of Fame in 2019.

• First Woman to Chair WMFE in Orlando in 1970 and 1971.

• Elected to the national board of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1972 and served on that board for 11 years.

• Trustee Emeritus of the Valencia College Foundation

for her longtime service to the Foundation Board, college mission, and community.

• Founding Member and Emeritus Trustee of the Garden Theatre.

• Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Piedmont College as well as other recognitions.

An extraordinary tribute to Barbara can be found at DignityMemorial.com, but perhaps our favorite story—and most colorful characterization of Winter Garden’s Leading Lady, is this: “While the kids were young, Barbara took it upon herself to hunt down a Lake Butler alligator that had unkindly consumed one of the family’s bird dogs. The former Pennsylvania socialite gathered her trusty 22-gauge rifle, shot that gator dead, got it to the taxidermist, and hung it up in the house for show. It still resides in the family camp to this day.”

Ruthie Fonseca

EXTRAORDINARY STYLE

Dress: Lyla by Dany Tabet / Overskirt: Daisy Skirt by Studio Levana / Hair & Makeup: Dorka Jones

This fiery Puerto Rican oozes style, confidence, and joy. As well she should. Her storied career includes being an accessories editor at People StyleWatch, personal assistant to Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, director of event services for Sonal J Shah Events, and general manager at Solutions Bridal. Her TikTok account (@yourweddingbestie) has more than a million views, and her personal Instagram (@ruthiefonseca) is a powerful voice for inclusivity and body positivity.

“Confidence is a very powerful tool. I wear what I like, for myself, not anyone else. We are our own best cheerleader, and when you are confident in yourself, others will be too.”

She attributes her sense of style to her grandma on her dad’s side: “Even if she was going to the grocery store, her hair and makeup were impeccable and she always had a matching suit on. She inspired my passion for fashion.”

Dress: Lyla by Dany Tabet / Overskirt: Daisy Skirt by Studio Levana / Hair & Makeup: Dorka Jones

A millennial in the best possible way, Ruthie has leveraged social media as a means of personal connection: “You can be yourself and let your personality come through in your videos and content. That is what viewers love,and I’ve been able to make some really great connections. People like feeling like they know you, therefore they respect you and truly value your opinion,” she says. “Through that, I want to help make women feel great in their bodies. Whether it be your birthday, your wedding day, a big event, or just your everyday life, I want women to celebrate their bodies and their curves... Wear that bikini, wear that short dress, wear that crop top. You look amazing exactly as you are!”

Aaron “The Big” Deal

EXTRAORDINARY SKILL

Aaron recently took second place in his age division at the Ultimate Ninja Athlete Association (UNAA) in Atlanta, earning him a spot at the UNAA World Championships in Las Vegas this July.

If you think your workouts are tough—you have no idea. Aaron "The Big" Deal has a killer program that's putting him in the natonal spotlight as a top-ranked ninja athlete.

And he's only 11 years old.

The Family Christian School fifth grader competed on the third season of American Ninja Warrior, Jr. at merely 9 years old. And though he didn’t place, the experience only stoked his desire to be a Ninja Warrior. “I can’t wait to compete with the adults at 15,” he says, with a grin.

Aaron practices daily on the backyard training course his parents, Jeff and Beth Deal, built for him. And at least twice a week, he’s at Obstacle Ninja Academy, where he counts coaches and competitive ninjas RJ Roman and Jason Kotzin as mentors. Though he competes as an individual, one of the aspects Aaron enjoys most is the camaraderie.

“It’s like a big family,” Aaron says. “We’re always rooting for each other, encouraging each other to keep going. When we fall—and we always fall, we’re there as a team to pick each other up.”