Okolona Fire Protection District Captain Chris Berry, 35, drowned this week while on a fishing and boating trip.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers responded to a call on Dale Hollow Lake, which is located on the Kentucky and Tennessee border, reporting a man had gone overboard near the First Island area early June 18. Berry and his friends had taken a boat out late the evening of June 17, and Berry reportedly stumbled and fell into the water.
The officers recovered his body around 8:30 a.m. June 18, and it was later taken to the Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office.
“We are crushed by this tragedy,” said Okolona Fire Protection District Chief Mark Little. “To our cherished friends, family, and the Emergency Responders Committee, words cannot adequately express the depth of our gratitude for the outpouring of sympathy and support you have shown to both the Berry and Okolona Fire families during this incredibly difficult time.”
Okolona Fire Protection District Captain Chris Berry, 35, drowned on June 18, while on a fishing and boating trip.
Berry was a nine-year veteran of the Okolona Fire Protection District. He began his fire service career in 2011 as a volunteer firefighter with the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District, and then later he joined the McMahan Fire Protection District in 2013.
He was a member of several specialized rescue teams, including hazmat technician, swift water rescue, confined space rescue and rope rescue. Berry received a Fire Life Saver Award in 2018 and earned a Unit Citation in 2018 and 2023 for his outstanding service.
Berry leaves behind a wife of six years, his biological parents, a stepfather, a sister, a mother and father-in-law and an extensive Fire and EMS family.
Some members of the Okolona Fire Protection District will travel to Nashville on Friday morning to bring Berry’s body home. A brief procession past Okolona Fire Station 2, 10508 Preston Highway, is expected to take place mid- to late afternoon.
Funeral arrangements are still pending.
Reach Courier Journal reporter Maggie Menderski at mmenderski@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Okolona Fire Captain Chris Berry drowns at Dale Hollow Lake