Mark Pannill

On Friday, December 17, 2021, Mark Stephen Pannill, a loving husband, father, and grandfather died suddenly at the age of 65.

Mark was born on February 27, 1956 in Dallas to Jesse E. and Marcia J. Pannill. Mark moved with his family to Waxahachie in 1964 and attended schools within the Waxahachie Independent School District.

In 1974 Mark graduated from Elkins Institute in Dallas, Texas with a Radio Television Degree  and a First Class Radiotelephone Operators License. He was a radio announcer for radio stations in Texas, as well as Oklahoma.

From 1976 to 1978 Mark attended South Western Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma and Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma. From 1977 through 1979 Mark performed in summer stock theatre in both Oklahoma and Texas as a gunfighter at theme and amusement parks.

He graduated in 1981 from the University of Texas at Arlington, in Arlington, Texas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1982 he attended El Centro College in Dallas and graduated with an Insurance Adjusting and Investigation degree. Mark worked as a private investigator for a number of years.

For five years Mark wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column titled “AFTERwords”.

He  wrote a book titled “The Day Coffeyville Bled” which was published in 2005. The book concerns the Dalton/Johnson western outlaw gang of the late 1800's. It has received critical acclaim due to the intense research involved. He also wrote a series of pamphlets, several magazine articles and newspaper copy on the same topic. These items were published in state and national periodicals. Mark also was a public speaker at several events concerning his Dalton/Johnson outlaw gang historical research.

Since 1985 he has been self-employed in residential/commercial renovations in and around Ellis, Dallas, Navarro, Johnson and Hill counties.

Mark was also an avid vegetable gardener and specifically raised heirloom vegetables for his immediate family members and close friends.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse E. and Marcia J. Pannill, his brothers-in-law Dr. Gerald Cox and Charles Harris, and his step-son Brian Kesner.

Mark is survived by his wife Susan Pannill, a daughter, Victoria Elizabeth Pannill, a son Jesse Milburn Pannill, a step-daughter, Allison Garippa and husband Christian,  granddaughters, Adelyn Greer Garippa (“Sugar Pie”) and Braelyn Karis Garippa (“Doodle Bug”), sisters-in-law Marilyn Harris and Dorothy Cox, brother-in-law Glenn Cox and wife Debbie, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mark willed his body to UT Southwestern for medical research. A family memorial was held at 2:00 pm Thursday, December 30, 2021 in the Pat Boze Memorial Chapel of the Wayne Boze Funeral Home located at 1826 W. Hwy 287 Business Waxahachie, Texas.