2026 DON AND DOÑA

Mark and Victoria Willis of Raymondville, Texas, are proud to continue a family farming legacy that spans over 100 years and five generations. 

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Mark Edward Willis is a fourth - generation farmer from Raymondville, Texas, with deep roots in South Texas agriculture. Mark is the son of Johnelle and the late Edward C. Willis. He graduated from Raymondville High School, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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Farming has always been an important part of Mark’s life. As a child, he spent his days in the cotton trailers during harvest season, by 13, he was tromping cotton in trailers for his father and grandfather, and at 15, Mark moved on to operating a cotton picker working 16-hour days.

After graduating college, Mark was not always certain farming would be his full time career, but in December of 1987, Mark returned home to discover his true calling and realized that any other career would have felt less meaningful. 

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In 1988, Mark began working full-time alongside his father, Edward C. Willis. Together, they formed the partnership known as W & W Farms. Working side-by-side with his father for the next 37 years, Mark learned every aspect of growing cotton and the passion that it takes to do so. 

Mark has served the agriculture community in many leadership roles, serving on the:

• Algodon Board of Directors

• Willacy County Livestock Show Board

• Willacy County Farm Service Agency Committee (serving as both President and Vice-President)

• Rio Grande Valley Boll Weevil Eradication Advisory Committee

• And the Willacy Co-op Board 

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Victoria Elena Hoppenstedt Willis was born in McAllen, Texas and was raised by her mother Jovita Vance and her late stepfather, Ray Vance. A proud McAllen Memorial graduate, she went on to study at Pan American University. She credits her upbringing in the Valley to shaping her into the hardworking, family oriented person she is today. Although she considered herself a “city girl,” Vicky was swept off her feet and into rural life when she married Mark in 1990. What began as an unexpected journey into agriculture has grown into a fulfilling role and today she is a proud partner in her family’s farming journey and success, while still dedicating her time to being present for their children. 

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After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2021, Vicky gained a new appreciation for life. Today she is cancer free. 

Vicky has served the community in leadership roles, such as the Algodon Board of Directors and currently as a Board Trustee for the Museum of South Texas History. 

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Mark and Vicky have been married for 35 years and are parents to four children: Johnathan Mark, Wesley Victoria, Garrett Matthew and Parker Edward. Johnathan was an Algodon Club Scholarship recipient and served as the Ambassador of Cotton in 2010. Wesley was a Little Princess in 2003 and Princess in 2012. She also received an Algodon Club Scholarship.  

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Mark and Vicky are members of Palm Valley Church in Mission Texas. They enjoy going to the movies, traveling, and making memories together, but their greatest joy is being Pops and Kiki to their beloved granddaughter Ellington Rae. 

Today, Mark farms alongside his sons, Johnathan and Garrett, continuing a tradition built on hard work, dedication, and a long standing relationship with Rio Farms in Monte Alto, Texas. 

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