John Mackin, III

John Gilman Mackin III, age 64 passed away on February 4, 2024 in Edwardsville, Illinois after living a wonderful life.

Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 6, 2024, with Pastor Stephen Schmidt officiating. Following services Johns’ family will be hosting a luncheon catered by Bare Bones Barbecue and served at the home of Donald and Julie Meyer in Gatesville.

John Gilman Mackin III was born on October 8, 1960 to John Gilman Mackin, Jr. and Mary Louise Bunch in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. John grew up primarily in Texas and attended high school at a boarding school outside of London, England. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Houston and graduate degrees from the University of Houston Downtown and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York.

John met his wife, Molly Haggerty Mackin, when he was her college English professor. They were married for 30 years and lived all over the United States from New York to California, Texas to Michigan. In addition, they lived overseas in Stavanger, Norway. Molly inherited two bonus children when marrying John, and they had two children together.

John left academia and worked as a technical writer, software engineer and business analyst. His greatest love was building and in 2019 his dream came true. Molly and John bought a home built in 1850 in southern Illinois, and he spent the next 4 1/2 years renovating it into their love home. 

John was kind and gentle and enjoyed all things outdoors. Kayaking, hiking, shooting, and bike riding were among his favorite things. He loved working with his hands and self-taught himself electrical, plumbing, framing, drywall, installing flooring, installing windows, appliances, building decks, outdoor kitchens, and much more. 

He loved his family most of all, and Christmas was his favorite holiday. He would be the first awake, light a fire and then would wake everyone else. He enjoyed hosting his friends and families at themed parties and on holidays. Once he was living in Illinois, hosting Thanksgiving became an annual affair with sometimes 20 plus guests.

John is survived by his wife Molly Mackin of Edwardsville Illinois; children, in order of age, Travis Mackin and partner Hai of San Francisco, California, Sarah Mackin of San Francisco, California, John Mackin and wife, Gabriella Mackin of Fairview, Illinois, Heather Mackin of Edwardsville, Illinois; granddaughter, Francesca; sisters, Jana Burns and Diane Brown; and many nieces and nephews.