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John Batis Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for John Batis
4 Entries
Angie Vurnakes
May 9, 2020
John was a dear friend of my family all the years he lived in Fayetteville. He was a Prince of a man! He will never be forgotten. ❤
Lynn & Susan Williamson
May 16, 2015
We are so saddened by John's passing. Lynn remembers all the fishing John and he did and I remember he always commented me on my hair cuts "Miss Emily" did for me. John loved, cared for and honored Emily, she loved, honored and cared for him. No more need be said. God Bless.
Angie Vurnakes
May 15, 2015
My friendship with John goes back to his first coming to the USA with his beautiful sister, Demetra. We all had many good times together. John was like a good brother; you could always depend on him and he always had your back. He taught me how to do the Zorba dance! He was so much fun at parties where there was Greek line dancing. I miss those days! And I will miss John! Jesus was a fisherman so I am sure John is giving him fishing advice in heaven! Go in peace, sweet Yianni. You are now in blessed hands.
Captain John with some nice Red Drum back in his earlier surf fishing days
Anthony Dew
May 15, 2015
I am sad to say that my stepfather passed away Wednesday. Some around my home here in White Oak may know him as the Dug (dog) Man for his Greek accent over the CB radio back in the early 80's when JD Sholar and sons introduced him to deer hunting with dogs. He got more of a kick out of hearing the dogs run and braving the muddy roads of White Oak Swamp with his 4X4. And while he loved to be in the woods or in the field with his shotgun, most knew John for his fishing passion.
Few on this planet have caught more fish in as many ways and different places as Captain John Batis! Whether it was fishing for big blues or big Reds in the Outer Banks or Whiting in a favorite spot near his home at Caroline Beach, John knew as much about surf fishing as anyone. Day or night, he was right at home on the beach.
In the early years, summer weekends meant fishing on the pier or a short ride down to the inlet. King fishing was literally king. With his faded Rebel hat and short denim cut-offs, everyone knew John would be on the pier. He took great pride when other fisherman would ask for him to throw out their anchor lines. With the fervor of Hank Arron, John could sling those pronged weights farther than the biggest men around. No matter how many times you witnessed it, to see him launch those things almost out of sight was always impressive.
On the pier, King may have been king, but bait was the key. And John took pride in being able to put bait in the bucket. Of course it helped to have his young apprentice (me) on a spot rig or plugging for blues, John was usually the first with bait on his rig. But what he would always do next showed the character of the man, and the reason everyone thought so much of him. He would throw out anchor lines for his fellow fishermen, work on their king rigs, and share his bait with those that had not caught any. He never let his competitiveness get in the way of helping other fishermen.
When the king fishing was slow or a change in scenery was calling, John would head to the inlet. Whether tying on a flounder rig, his favorite green grub, or a MirrOlure, it wouldn't be long before he was catching flounder, trout, or puppy drum. Here, John knew having the right bait at the right time was the key. Going after mud minnows, mullet minnows, and shrimp in the tidal pools and tributaries was as much a part of the fun as the fishing itself! And to see John toss his throw net was just as impressive as seeing him sling those anchor weights from the pier.
Whether he was fishing with live bait or artificial lures from the inlet to the pier, he could always put fish in the cooler. But John always longed to fish the waters off of the beach. Once he got his first boat, he was in heaven! Starting out his boat fishing with my mom, his faithful companion, Miss Emily, in the boat of the same name, it quickly progressed from black bass, grunts and porgies to pink and red snapper or grouper to trolling for Spanish. There were lots of awesome days spent bottom fishing for red snapper and big ole' grouper. But even then John couldn't resist the temptation to float a cigar minnow for kings. It wasn't long before john got the yearning to hear the real scream once again and was back trolling for king.
Before long, his competitive side led him to tournament fishing. This is where John met many of those that know him today. And while I was fortunate enough to fish a few tournaments with him, he was too wide open to keep up with after that and my mom and I seldom fished with him anymore in the boat. But that afforded others the opportunity and pleasure of fishing with, and getting to know Captain John. We missed fishing with John like we did before the tournaments, but as with many good things in life, we can't always keep them to ourselves. But others were then blessed as we once were, to have the opportunity to fish with John.
Over the years, many have met, worked with, and fished with John. I can only imagine the fun times and memories others have had with my step father as my family once did, but as with many good things in life, we can't always keep them to ourselves. And as we once did, others may now be blessed with the opportunity to finally be with John again. Those of us lucky enough to be part of his life and to know him will always miss him. We are lucky enough to have known him and fished with him and are left with the gift he left for us, our memories with Captain John.
Anthony
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