Mari Christine Haley

Mari Christine Haley, age 73, passed away on April 24, 2026, at her home in Waco, Texas. Services will be held Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 3:00 PM at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey funeral home in Waco. There will be a reception immediately following the service.

Mari Christine was born in Michigan City, Indiana on April 9, 1953, to Leroy and Beatrice Kramolis Haley. Her mother, Bea, was originally from the Waco area, and she and her parents returned there in 1959. Mari attended St. Mary’s Catholic School, Saint Alban’s Episcopal School, briefly, and Tennyson Junior High School. Mari and her parents moved to Temple, Texas for a short time where she attended Temple High School before returning to Waco in 1969. Mari earned her GED and attended McLennan Community College before matriculating at Baylor University. During that time, she worked as a medical technician and became interested in the medical profession. After graduating from Baylor University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Mari went to work for Merck, Sharp, and Dohme as a pharmaceutical sales representative in San Antonio, Texas. It was during this time that she began pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mari moved back to Waco in 1979 after having begun work as a landman in the Texas oil and gas industry. Shortly after, Mari returned to her academic pursuits and graduated from Baylor Law School in 1985. After passing the Texas State Bar exam, Mari began work as a criminal defense attorney in Waco but soon began to concentrate on specialization in the area of law that became the cornerstone of her career. Mari subsequently became board-certified in oil, gas, and mineral law in both Texas and Oklahoma, and served at length as president of the Oil and Gas Committee for the Texas State Bar. Mari also served for eighteen years as a member of the Real Estate, Probate, and Trust section of the State Bar of Texas, and was an active and contributing member up to the time of her passing.

Like many of us, Mari held a few hidden talents. She continued to excel in her academic pursuits and, in her late forties, sought to acquire a degree in medicine with the aspiration of becoming a radiologist. She scored high enough on the MCAT to be granted interviews from four US medical schools and was granted admission to Saint James Medical School at Bonaire. However, completion would have required her to be geographically far away for most of seven years from her beloved husband Jim. Ultimately, she followed her heart and chose to decline her invitation to medical school, continue her successful legal practice, and remain close by her husband. Mari joined the Highland Lakes Bar Association in Marble Falls, Texas and served as its president for three years. She also served as the president of the Oil and Gas Section of the Texas State Bar Association in San Antonio.

On July 17, 1995, Mari married the dear and devoted love of her life, Jim Denman. Together, she and Jim enjoyed their mutual love of real estate speculation and restoration and attended many Texas Ranger reunions and legal conferences where they enjoyed visiting with wonderful colleagues and great friends. Occasionally, Mari was invited to serve as the designated speaker at those legal conferences as well. Jim and Mari frequently went on long road trips to see family and friends everywhere, as well as flying to far off destinations just for pure enjoyment and to spend more special times together.

Mari was a lover of horses, dogs, birds, and just about every animal there was, but especially cats. She had many adopted cats, whom she loved dearly, and even provided for neighborhood strays all her life. One day, Mari rescued a baby bunny who was being swallowed by a coachwhip snake just by yelling at it and causing the snake to spit the bunny out! She also loved flowers and plants and had a remarkable talent for keeping them growing and healthy. Mari loved to read books of all types and could frequently be spotted at the Waco Public Library. She also loved the psychedelic and hard rock music of her generation and was always enthusiastic to engage in conversation about her favorite artists and songs. In earlier years, Mari was an avid horseback rider and loved riding her big Harley Davidson motorcycles. She also loved waterskiing and boating on Lake Waco, usually bringing a box of Church’s Fried Chicken and then throwing the bones over the side of her boat!

Mari was preceded in death by her mother and father and a half-brother, Thomas Leroy Haley.

Survivors include her husband Jim Denman, her son David A. Knight and his wife Kathleen of Waco, her grandson David M. Knight, her step granddaughters Alexandria Arias of Waco, and Lauren Arias and her fiancée Cody Harris of Austin, her stepson Jimmy Denman and wife Nicole and their children Laura, Trey, and Audrey, her stepson Jeff Denman and wife Lauren and their children Clayton and Cody, all of San Antonio.

Most of all, Mari was dearly loved and gave her love to her husband and her family. In the final week of her life, Mari asked Jim to describe her. In consideration of her determination and straightforward business attitude, Jim replied “you’re a tiger with a smile!” Our time with Mari was entirely too short, and she will be greatly missed by all of us.

Our family invites and encourages you to leave a message or memory on the tribute wall provided at www.whbfamily.com.