Students, part of the “Pops” family, a school crossing guard who died fishing in the Trinity River

Mark Knowles followed the ritual every day. He went fishing on the Trinity River, returned home, and ate dinner while watching his favorite TV show with his wife, Elizabeth.

On October 23, Elizabeth Knowles left work and called her husband to ask if he was fishing. He laughed and said he wasn’t there yet, but he was on his way. That was the last time she heard his voice on the phone.

Mark Knowles’ body found from the Clear Fork of the Trinity River last week in Fort Worth, according to police. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death of a 66-year-old man. Elizabeth said she doesn’t expect the autopsy report to be ready for about 90 days.

Marek, who was retired, served as a guard at the border crossing at ul Lily B. Clayton Elementary School and as a security officer at TCU.

Dwayne Ferguson, another guard at the elementary school, said Mark, affectionately known as Pops, he did a lot for the children and the community.

On his way home, he passed out lollipops to each child, asking them to make sure they listened to their parents and did their homework, and the students loved him, Ferguson said.

“We dressed up every holiday, laughed, danced and played music,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said it will be hard this holiday season without Mark, but they will likely still dress up in an effort to preserve his legacy.

Eric Gilbert, commander of the Special Operations Division at TCU, said Mark was very outgoing and inquisitive and was excited to be a part of TCU.

Gilbert said that at work, Mark was always helpful and could be counted on to volunteer for any task on the university campus.

Each year, the move-in of new students is a big event for TCU, and Mark was committed to making sure people had water and everyone was taken care of, Gilbert said.

“We definitely miss him,” Gilbert said. “Unfortunately, we only had a short, limited time to spend with him here. He was definitely a dedicated employee.”

Perry Johnston, a neighbor and co-worker of TCU, said Mark loved working TCU football games. He added that he has good contact with many students.

“It wasn’t a long relationship, but it was a short relationship, but a significant one,” said Johnston, who had known Mark for about two and a half years.

Community members and elementary school students placed signs in his memory outside the school grounds where he handed out treats to children.

“Dad, thank you for keeping us safe. Forever in our hearts,” we read on one of the posters.

“You know, not everyone has that kind of stroke for you,” Johnston said. “If you commit to maintaining relationships with your friends, family and neighbors, and they return the favor by showing him how much they love him.”

Elizabeth said her husband died doing what he loved most, fishing. “She takes comfort in the fact that the community has expressed how much they love him,” she added.

Elizabeth said that he not only dressed for the children at school, but also for every holiday spent with his family. Mark had already chosen his Halloween costume: he planned to dress up as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.

“We’ll joke with the grandkids and celebrate Pops that way,” Elizabeth said.