Chris George Gouras Sr.

1946 - 2020

Captain Chris George Gouras Sr. died peacefully at his home in Panacea, Florida on March 31, 2020 at the age of 73.

Chris is survived by his former spouse of thirty-six years, Mauree Hollowell Gouras of Panama City Beach, Florida, his son Chris George Gouras Jr. and daughter-in-law Ashley Hopkins Gouras of Madison, Mississippi, his daughter Tina Gouras Bruhmuller of Panama City Beach, Florida, his daughter Gena Gouras Pecori of Panama City Beach, Florida and his son George Gouras and daughter-in-law Amanda Weidenhaft Gouras of Memphis, Tennessee. He is also survived by his nine grandchildren, Chris George III (Tripp), Kendyll and Branch Gouras; Brooke and Brian Bruhmuller; Taylor, Hailey and Larken Pecori, and Alex Gouras; and his brother Jimmy Gouras and sister-in-law Peggy Gouras, his sister Evangelia "Lulu" Gouras Klonaris and brother-in-law Nicholas Klonaris and his sister Maria Gouras Arvanitis and brother-in-law Jimmy Arvanitis.

He is preceded in death by his parents George Alexander Gouras and Despinoula Gouras.

Chris was born on November 18, 1946 in Tallahassee, Florida to George and Despinoula Gouras. He attended Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida until 1963 and graduated from Bay High School in Panama City, Florida in 1964. From 1975 until his death, Chris owned and operated two restaurant industry businesses, Manco Associates and Coastal Restaurant Equipment and Design. In his career, he provided equipment, design, and consulting services to many in the Florida restaurant industry and he was recognized for his talent in improving flow and function and creating efficiencies by streamlining processes and specifying equipment layouts. Chris was a perfectionist. It was these attributes - form, flow, and function that made him a phenomenal fishing talent and he devoted much of his life to passing on his passion for fishing and hunting to his family, friends, and later his clients.

Chris founded Tide Creek Charters in 2013. As Captain of Tide Creek Charters, he was able to share his passion with countless others. He was at once a friend, teacher and mentor. Many of his clients and friends credit Chris with helping to refine their fishing techniques. Many others will never forget the help he was so willing to give to anyone in need. Chris had a rare gentleness and patience with the many children he taught to fish. He was the living embodiment of that amiable, grandfatherly nature, with his snowy white beard and kind, welcoming grin. In many ways, teaching the next generation to love his sport was his most rewarding pursuit.

Chris was the type of fishing partner everyone should have at least once in their lives. Trips out on the water with Chris were as much about the lessons of life as the fishing. He was a fisherman philosopher, often waxing poetic about the prismatic hues of a sunrise or the violence of a distant thunderstorm. He could weave a parable into every lost fish and find a psalm in every prized catch. He spoke of the complexities of life in simple, relatable terms. His incredible intelligence would often come through in the punch lines of his famous jokes and the morals of his fascinating fishing stories.

Author John Steinbeck once wrote, "It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming." Captain Chris Gouras Sr. seldom lost.

He was a fishing legend - a man that could find the fish when few others could. He was the pinnacle of his sport – a true sportsman and a conservationist that understood the symbiotic nature of the world in which he chased his quarry. He was also a record-holder of the highest order.

All great fishermen have a particular specialty. For Chris, it was Tripletail, one of the most elusive gamefish in our coastal waters. Chris was the Godfather of Tripletail fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Each day would find him out in the Florida waters fishing for those giant silvery-black slabs swimming among the flotsam just below the water's surface.

Chris was also the greatest Tripletail tagger of all time. In recent years, records have been kept for the number of Tripletail tagged by fisherman. The second-place fisherman on the list tagged an impressive 184 Tripletail. For most anglers, catching 184 Tripletail in a lifetime, much less tagging and releasing them, would be an incredible achievement. Chris Gouras Sr., the reigning Tripletail tagging record holder in the Gulf of Mexico, tagged and released 1,352. And that number would have been higher, save the fact that he often ran out of tags.

Chris loved God's creation and spending time in the outdoors where he found peace and tranquility. This is where he found his greatest success – not in the accumulation of wealth and assets – but by forming bonds through his many experiences and creating lasting memories.

Those who knew Chris quickly learned that he was a man who was never afraid of a thunderstorm. He never the let the threat of bad weather stop him from his trips out on the water, and as a result, he always seemed to get caught in the summer thunderstorms so prevalent in his little corner of the world.

Despite many close calls, Chris always found his way through the lightning, rain and wind to arrive safely at the dock. He spent his final days much as he spent many of the ones that came before, riding through the storm to find peaceful waters on the other side.

Chris Gouras Sr. passed away surrounded by his family, in his room overlooking his beloved Ochlockonee Bay. On his walls were countless photos of his friends and family, beaming with smiles as they held up their day's catch. He passed from this world among the snapshots of his life, the memories of such importance to him that he filled every empty space to adorn them proudly along his walls. He was surrounded by the things that meant the most to him – symbols of the stories of his life, told time and again on his many fishing trips to all those lucky enough to accompany him.

Captain Chris Gouras Sr. wished to spend eternity among his beloved Gulf waters. To honor his wishes, his ashes will spread at favorite fishing spots he designated to his family. A celebration of his life will be scheduled at a later date.

In lieu of flowers and to honor his conservation efforts and his legacy as the Gulf of Mexico's GOAT (Greatest of all Tripletailers) the family asks that you contribute in honor of Chris Gouras Sr. to ensure that the pursuits of his most beloved outdoor interest, Tripletail tagging, will live on in perpetuity. Also, the family has established an endowment for the Capt. Chris Gouras Scholarship benefitting students in the Marine Fisheries program at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Memorials to his life may be directed to:

The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation

118 College Drive #5210

Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406.

Please note that the gift is made in memory of Chris Gouras Sr. in the memo line of your check and please indicate if the contribution should be dedicated to the Tripletail Tagging Program or the Memorial Scholarship.

Family Funeral Home at Harvey Young Chapel 850-926-5919 Familyfhc.com