Over the last two years, Mark A. Nobles worked on a novel about the history of lynchings in Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nobles had a complicated relationship with his home state, his fiancee Debra Rodia said. The writer was fascinated by Texas history, but often grappled with the state\u2019s appalling treatment of its residents by people who looked like him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe felt like Fort Worth, and Texas in general, could rise to be better than what some of its past had been,\u201d Rodia said. \u201cThat was how he was with people in general, too. He just saw the best in people and, after a while, you saw yourself that way too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The novel, \u201cPicnic on the Square,\u201d got picked up by a California publisher, a feat Nobles was very proud of. He did not live to see it through the entire editing process.<\/p>\n
Mark A. Nobles died on July 24, 2026 after a year-and-a-half battle with cancer. He was 66. He is survived by his children Eleanor and Elliott Nobles, Louis Lopez, and his fiancee Rodia.<\/p>\n
Nobles was born in Fort Worth on Feb. 3, 1960. His father was in the military, so Nobles lived in different places during his youth, from Virginia to California to Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
By his early teens, Nobles was settled again in Fort Worth. It was while attending Crowley High School that the sixth-generation Texan decided to dedicate his life to sharing stories.<\/p>\n
\u201c(He told) his mom that he wanted to be a writer. And she wasn’t dismissive, but was like, \u2018Well, what are you gonna do for a job?\u2019 And he said, \u2018I’m going to be a writer,\u2019\u201d Elliott Nobles said.<\/p>\n
Nobles\u2019 curiosity and his desire to listen to other people often overshadowed his desire to share about himself, Rodia said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought of himself as a person that was really interested in other people’s stories, and that was really what drew him to everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Nobles graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in English from Austin College, beginning a lifelong journey as a storyteller through a variety of media.<\/p>\n
His published works ranged from nonfiction historical books, such as \u201cFort Worth’s Rock & Roll Roots,\u201d<\/a> to novels and short stories delving into the horror genre, such as \u201cChalk Mountain\u201d<\/a> and \u201cStories of a Different Dark.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The consistent theme of his works \u2014 no matter the genre or medium \u2014 is a love of his hometown and the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was really passionate about Texas history and Fort Worth history,\u201d Elliott Nobles said. \u201cI feel like that was kind of a foundation of what he enjoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fort Worth native produced and wrote documentary films, including \u201cTeen A Go Go\u201d in 2012 and more recently \u201cThe Birth and History of Western Swing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Nobles\u2019 work with \u201cTeen A Go Go\u201d is how he met Darren Houk, the current mayor of River Oaks. Given their closeness in age and shared love of the arts, the two became close friends. Nobles worked for Houk\u2019s roofing company since 2016 and helped Houk during his election campaign.<\/p>\n The pair would later work together on a book on River Oaks\u2019 history<\/a>, which was published in 2025. Houk said he only had the idea for the book, and Nobles did the rest.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly on, I tried to take my name off the book, and he wouldn’t have any part of it,\u201d Houk said, recalling Nobles\u2019 generosity.<\/p>\n Nobles\u2019 work as a screenwriter on \u201cThe Birth and History of Western Swing\u201d earned him a Will Rogers Medallion Award alongside co-screenwriters Cary Ginell, Robert Huston and Michael Markwardt, who is also the film\u2019s director and executive producer.<\/p>\n Nobles was brought onto the project due to his experience in documentary screenwriting and adapted the script to match the voice of the film\u2019s narrator, Markwardt said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a deep passion for Fort Worth music, and he dove in feet first and learned a lot about Western swing,\u201d Markwardt added.<\/p>\n The documentary is set to be screened by PBS in the first quarter of 2027 and released on streaming services afterward.<\/p>\n Nobles worked nearly 20 years for the West Academy, teaching English, government and geometry.<\/p>\n He was a frequent contributor to the Cleburne Times-Review, writing about football, businesses and the local community.<\/p>\n Nobles co-founded the Wildcatter Exchange, a nonprofit that hosted events to help create a platform for local artists and writers.<\/p>\n Because of his involvement in several artistic communities of Fort Worth and North Texas, Nobles never defined himself in one specific way.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe wasn’t just someone that worked at a roofing company. He wasn’t just someone that worked with the mayor of River Oaks. He wasn’t just someone who used to teach, who did the Wildcatter Exchange, who was a serious writer, who produced movies. He was all of those things, and all of those were completely different groups of people,\u201d Rodia said. \u201cBecause of him, a lot of those people knew each other \u2026 and everyone is equally devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n A service honoring Nobles will be held 3-4:30 p.m. July 31 at the River Oaks Community Center.<\/p>\n Ismael M. Belkoura is the nonprofit editor for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from North Texas Community Foundation. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n