Sometimes, even a global pandemic can bring unexpected joy. For Natalie Pagoria and Chuck Malik, COVID-19 turned into a love story—one that now includes a happy marriage, a sweet baby girl, and a life they love here in Gateway Greens’ Fairway Isles South.
Natalie and Chuck moved to our neighborhood two years ago and have quickly become part of the Gateway family. With a 14-month-old daughter and a happy dog, their home is full of energy, love, and lots of greenery—more on that in a minute!
Natalie grew up grounded (quite literally) on a farm in northern Wisconsin, where her family grew their own food. Her family’s apple orchard, bakery, and produce farm were a staple of the local farmers market and community. That deep connection to nature and nurturing things stuck with her. After college at Marquette University, Natalie’s perpetual curiosity and love for nature led her to the Peace Corps where she served in Kenya. There, she fell in love with the vibrant local culture and vegetation: passion fruit, pineapple, mangoes, and more. She even built a solar-powered mango dryer which her students used to win a science fair without her!
Her deep appreciation for nature has made Gateway Greens feel like home. Today, Natalie has a thriving backyard ecosystem with everything from orchids and philodendrons to pollinator playgrounds and dreamy live oak. She credits many of her lovely neighbors for contributing clippings and gardening wisdom.
But Natalie’s roots go far beyond plants. She’s a driven and compassionate family medicine physician who has worked in everything from Covid hospital units to HIV care and healthcare administration. With over 20 years of experience, she is passionate about providing exceptional care, building high-performing teams, and creating innovative solutions. In her current role as a Physician Advisor at Lee Health, Natalie works to ensure high-quality patient care, operation efficiency, regulatory compliance, and financial sustainability, all while bridging the gap between medical staff and administration.
Chuck, meanwhile, keeps the hospital running in a very different way. The couple met in a Chicago hospital in 2020 where Natalie was training doctors on a new system, and Chuck was the IT guy making it all work. Sparks flew. Fast forward to today: Chuck now manages the IT Infrastructure at Lee Health, keeping systems and data centers running 24/7—sometimes even sleeping there during hurricanes!
In 2024, their greatest adventure began with baby Zelda’s arrival. Natalie proudly calls motherhood her biggest achievement to date, and Chuck has traded his scratch golf game for diaper duty and baby meals (although he still sneaks in a round now and then at Gateway, sometimes with Natalie and Zelda in tow). He jokes by claiming he is the only northerner to move to Florida and play less golf, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
They’ve quickly become part of the Gateway community—enjoying dog walks with neighbors, Gateway Women’s Club activities, and trying out local favorites like brunch at Skinny Dogz, salad bar at the Club, or a Stromboli from Saucy Meatball (when they’re not cooking at home as Chuck grills, Natalie makes pizza and amazing Christmas cookies!) They love the neighborhood’s culture, sense of community, lush greenery, proximity to the airport, and the warm mix of young families, retirees, and snowbirds.
So next time you see a couple strolling through the Club, on the road, or golf course with a baby, don’t be shy. Say hello to Chuck, Natalie, and little Zelda. You’ll be glad you did!
