Okolona fire captain who drowned on fishing trip welcomed home with procession

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A line of Louisville firefighters saluted one of their own Friday afternoon as crews brought his body back home.

Okolona Fire Capt. Chris Berry, 35, drowned Wednesday morning at Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee while on a camping and fishing trip with friends. 

Officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) responded to the lake at 12:50 a.m. CST on a man overboard. 

Okolona Fire Chief Mark Little said the group took their bass boat out for night fishing when Berry reportedly stumbled and fell overboard into the water. TWRA officials said attempts to help Berry were made, but he "could not be reached."

“We are crushed by this tragedy,” Little said in a news release Thursday evening. “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.”

Crews recovered his body around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in 72 feet of water, according to TWRA officials.  

Berry was a 9-year veteran of the Okolona Fire Protection District. Little said Berry's career in fire service began in 2011 as a volunteer firefighter with the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District. In 2013, he became a career firefighter with McMahan Fire Protection District before joining Okolona in 2016. 

"Chris was loved by his first responder family, a respected leader and dedicated public servant, who loved serving the Okolona community," Little's statement continued Thursday. 

Berry was a member of several specialized rescue teams at Okolona, Little said, including Hazmat, Swift Water Rescue, Confined Space Rescue and Rope Rescue.

In 2018, Berry was honored with the Okolona Fire Department's Fire Life Saver Award. That same year, he received the Unit Citation for the first time, and a second time in 2023, "for his outstanding service."

Little said 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.

Members of the fire department went to Nashville Friday morning to bring Berry's body back. When they arrived home Friday afternoon, a brief procession was held, passing by Okolona Fire Station 2 on Preston Highway as community members and Berry's fellow firefighters welcomed him home.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced. 

Top Stories: 

Henry County under boil water advisory due to E. coli contamination

Crystal Rogers murder case returns to court in one of Kentucky’s most closely watched trials

Explosion at Lyndon hotel triggered by unknown device; person of interest detained

Grayson County man charged with holding Realtor at knifepoint over home contract

Hammer attack leaves 6-year-old in critical condition, mother charged, Louisville police say

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.