John William Steakley Jr.

Steakley, Jr., John William After a long illness, novelist John Steakley passed away at his home in McKinney, Texas, on November 27, 2010, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Cleburne, Texas on July 26, 1951 and was the only son of car dealer John William Steakley and Marjorie Elizabeth O'Bannon. His family moved to Dallas in 1963 and he attended St. Marks Academy and graduated from Colorado Academy in Denver . He attended Westminster College in Fulton , Missouri where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and graduated with a degree in English from Southern Methodist University in 1973. He married Lori Jo Jones in 1988. John later married Nannette Roshell Felter in 2003. John began writing as a teenager. While in college, John sold his first screenplay. "The Bluenose Limit" printed in 1981 and "Flyer" printed in 1982. They were the first of several short stories to be published by Amazing Stories magazine. His first novel, Armor, was published in 1984. His novel, Vampire$, was published in 1990. Both books are still in print and have been published in several languages. Vampire$ was made into a major motion picture directed by John Carpenter. John Steakley was the kind of larger-than-life personality that can only come from Texas . He was a writer, actor, producer, sought-after panelist and speaker, Southern gentleman, scratch golfer, joke-teller, Cowboy fanatic, Ranger hopeful and political-junkie. His mother and father preceded him in death. He is survived by wife Roshell Steakley, his daughter Lexi Steakley, and her mother Lori Hennington, his son Coty Austin Steakley, his sister, Anne Steakley Reeder, niece Elizabeth Reeder Johnson, her husband Scott Johnson and son Grant, nieces Sara Reeder Bell and Laura Anne Reeder, daughter Chelsea Felter, Stepmother Danielle Tarnowski Steakley, Stepfather Charles A. Larrance, brothers, Mike Larrance, his wife Jo Lynn and their sons Daniel and David, and Chris Larrance, and sister Samantha Larrance Ridden and her husband Michael, and closest and dearest friend David Ronchi. The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers who helped so much during the last days of John's illness. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 30, 2010, at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel. Family and friends are invited to the funeral home at their convenience on Monday to pay their respects and to sign the register book. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Monday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. Private family burial will be held at Calvary Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to The Triad (Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment) Fund, The Dallas Foundation, 900 Jackson Street, Suite 705, Dallas, Texas 75202. Note: Please indicate TRIAD in the memo line. To convey condolences or to sign an online registry,please visit www.tjmfuneral .com.