Mark Sawyer

Mark Allyson Sawyer, 43, passed away on January 6, 2010 at his home in Mexia. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 16, 2010 at Blair-Stubbs Funeral Home in Mexia. Mark was born July 17, 1966 in Fort Worth, Texas to Bruce and Janis Sawyer. Mark's primary enjoyment and motivation in life came from filmmaking. He won his first international award at the age of 16 for his short film Terror at Dawn. He went on to win numerous other national and international awards over the span of his career, spurring the producer of the well-known PBS program The Territory to describe him as "simply the best filmmaker in this region [the Southwest] to emerge in over 20 years." In addition to making short films, Mark co-produced, along with his long-time friend a creative collaborator, Jay Reel, an audio drama series for National Public Radio called Tales from the Morgue. Mark also served as cinematographer for Mr. Reel's first feature-length film, Dawn. Mark was a soft-spoken, kind and gentle person, inspiring the love and devotion of friends and family alike. Those who got to know him found a loyal friend with a wonderful sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Mark was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Myers, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sawyer; and his father, Bruce Sawyer. He is survived by his mother Jan Sawyer; his sister Kellye Bennett and spouse Terry; his brother Michael Sawyer and spouse Kim; his sister Kris Rhodes and spouse Scott; and his nieces and nephews Jennifer and Jordan Bennett; Jonathan and Jeremiah Rhodes; and Charles Sawyer. In honor of Mark's passion for filmmaking, a memorial fund has been created to benefit the organization that helped him get his start, and that was always there to support him: The Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP). Donations in Mark's name may be made to: SWAMP, 1519 West Main St, Houston, TX ,77006, or on the web at www.swamp.org