Mark Alan Fankhauser

Mark Alan Fankhauser passed away peacefully on April 6th, 2023, at the age of 70. Despite his battle with serious medical issues in recent years, Mark faced every challenge with optimism and courage and will always be a hero and inspiration to his loved ones. His greatest joy came from spending time with his family and watching the wildlife from his patio with his wife Gail, either a morning coffee or evening cocktail in his hand.

Mark was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1952 and raised by his wonderful parents George and Nora May Fankhauser. In his younger years, he loved Boy Scouts and often talked about his many adventures. He also developed an incredible work ethic during these formative years, having a paper route as a young boy and later working as a head lifeguard at the community pool. In his teenage years, Mark took up drumming and played in both the school band and a rock band. At age 17, he worked up the courage to ask Gail Goodman on a date, and she became the love of his life and wife of 51 years. She was immediately drawn to his kindness, and to this day will tell you he was the kindest person she has ever met. Kindness is a trait that comes up often when people talk about their memories of Mark and was a lasting impact that he made on everyone that knew him.

Married at the young age of 19, Mark then focused on his education and started to build a life with his new wife. He received his undergraduate degree from Pittsburgh State University in 1974 and his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1978. Mark also served in the Air Force from 1971-1973 and in the Missouri and New Hampshire Air National Guard from 1973-1977. After graduation from law school, Mark moved to Texas to start his legal career which specialized in estate planning and representation of tax-exempt charitable organizations and state agencies. Mark was a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Always giving of his time, Mark also served on the boards of several charitable organizations including serving as the Chairman for the American Heart Association’s Dallas Division.

Mark’s greatest love has always been his family and close friends, spending time with them at every opportunity. He loved taking annual fishing trips to Branson, Missouri and attending his kids and grandkids sporting events. If he couldn’t attend a game in person, he would work hard to stream it on his TV and had several clips saved on his phone of highlight plays made by his grandkids. He loved animals and fast cars (in that order) and passed those loves on to his two sons. While he sold his fast cars several years back, he did have an exciting animal encounter late in life as he and Gail were visiting Lake Tahoe with friends and encountered a bear in their kitchen in the middle of the night. Mark faced the bear as he did everything in life, with optimism that it would all work out and with kindness as he stood silently and allowed the bear to exit without harm. While scary at the time, it made for a lasting memory that brings a smile to Gail and anyone else that has heard the story. Both the smiles and the bear have grown with each telling.

Mark is survived by his wife Gail, sons Matthew and Jordan, their spouses Kristen and Christina, his grandchildren Caden, Logan, Tyler, Brody, Jack, and Nora, his brother Craig, sisters-in-law Dixie and Jamie, brother-in-law Clint, mother-in-law Geneva, his close friends and colleagues Fred Pedersen and Cindy Stanley, and many extended family members whom he loved dearly. We are comforted by his strong Christian faith and the knowledge that we will see him again one day.

His loved ones will honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest and keeping his memory alive with the countless stories and lessons learned from a life well lived. Mark’s celebration of life will be a private ceremony with close family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation be made to the American Heart Association, Straydog which promotes animal adoption, or your favorite charitable organization.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mark Alan Fankhauser, please visit our floral store.