Mark Magee

Mark Magee, 85, passed away in the early hours of December 6, 2023 at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville after a brief illness. He was born on August 27, 1938 in Edinburg, TX to Anne Lipscomb Magee, who was an important part of a Rio Grande Valley pioneer family and George Nairne Magee.

Mark lived a full and interesting life. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, in 1961 he joined the second ever Peace Corps group (Training Group #2) and was assigned to San Joaquin, Iloilo in the Philippines. He was part of an early experimental group that paired up two male and two female volunteers to see if they could coexist. While there, he taught English and helped build schools including in Mindanao. After serving his two years in the Philippines, he took the long way home and, for a few years, lived and worked in the Lake Como area for an export business selling to the American military PX stores. After returning to the States, he eventually returned to UT-Austin where he obtained a Masters degree (Theoretical Linguistics, 1969) and then a Ph.D. (Applied Linguistics, 1978). He spoke several languages, including Spanish and German. In the fall of 1970, he began teaching at Texas Southmost College and, in 1980, he began teaching at what was then known as Pan American University-Brownsville (now UT-Brownsville) where he was an Associate Professor of Linguistics. When he wasn't teaching, Mark enjoyed tinkering on his cars, reading science fiction, fishing, enjoying amateur astronomy and following the stock market. He also regaled the family with plenty of stories of his travels including being awed (and somewhat intimidated) by the giant fruit bats of the Philippines with their huge wingspans.

Mark is survived by his son, Russell Magee (Janie) of Cedar Park, TX and his daughter, Kim Wood of San Antonio and his son-in-law, Enrique "Ricky" DeAnda of Harlingen. Pop's pride and joy were his five young grandsons: Marcos and Leo DeAnda and Matt, Andrew and William Magee.

Preceding him in death were his older brother, Col. Lawton Wood Magee and his twin brothers, George Nairne Magee, Jr and Gene Lipscomb Magee.

Trevino's Funeral Home-Old Port Isabel Rd. in Brownsville is in charge of funeral arrangements.