Mark Glen Armentrout, beloved husband, father, philosopher, fisherman, songwriter, poet, philanthropist and North Texas’s foremost bear safety expert, died at his home in McKinney April 14, 2015 at the age of 59.
Born July 24, 1955 in Hutchison, Kan., to Betty Mae and Charles Glen Armentrout, Mark moved all over the country with his parents and two brothers living in Kansas, Ohio, California and eventually settling on Texas. After graduating from Bishop Lynch High School in 1973, he received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in political science with a major in philosophy from East Texas State University in Commerce.
In 1976, he married Christie Markella Raynes of Fairlie, Texas. With their two children, Christie and Mark lived all over Texas and much further north, in Alaska. Mark would dedicate his life to fishing, taking family vacations, reading philosophy and science fiction books, coaching youth basketball and rooting the Dallas Cowboys on to win five Superbowls.
Professionally, Mark spent more than 35 years working in electricity, information technology, oil and gas, renewables and banking.
He spent 24 years with ARCO, the nation’s sixth largest integrated oil and gas company, until it was acquired by BP in 2000. In his last position with ARCO, he managed information technology services for exploration and production, responsible for staffs in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.
He worked as information technology executive vice president for MBNA, now Bank of America, from 2000 to 2006. From 2005 to 2008, he served as board chair for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and served as a member of the ERCOT board from 2003 to 2009. And from 2009 to 2010 he worked as President of the Texas Institute for Sustainable Technology Research.
From helping Texans keep their lights on, to helping children in need, perhaps Mark’s favorite passion was his community charitable work. He served on numerous other boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas, the UTD Erik Jonsson Engineering School Industrial Advisory Board, the TCU Science and Engineering Department, the UNT Information Technology and Decision Sciences Advisory Board.
Most notably he worked as interim executive director and board member at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney and Serenity High School in McKinney – a high school for students returning from recognized substance abuse treatment centers who are committed to obtaining a high school diploma in a safe, supportive and sober environment.
The Heard Museum will host a memorial service and reception at their Science Resource Center on Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m., 1 Nature Place in McKinney. Mark’s friends, relatives and colleagues are welcome to attend.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Christie, and their adult children – son Nathan, daughter and son-in-law Alyssa and John Boehringer and new baby granddaughter Raynes Boehringer. Mark also leaves behind a rambunctious Catahoula named Juneau.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to Serenity High School. Visit serenity.mckinneyisd.net.
As in Voltaire’s Candide, Mark lived his life in the best of all possible worlds, “just as Dr. Pangloss said.”