Post by Kelly Jessop on Jul 26, 2010 5:15:17 GMT -5
www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2010/07/25/breaking_news/break01.txt
HIGH SPRINGS -- Memorial services for High Springs’ Wes Skiles will be held at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, July 28 at Ginnie Springs, which will be opened to the public starting in the early afternoon that day. Hundreds, if not more than 1,000 people, are expected to attend.
The 6 p.m. memorial service will be followed by a “Celebration of Wes’ Life.” The celebration will last into the evening, and organizers are suggesting that attendees bring a beverage of their choice and a picnic supper or food to share.
Skiles, an internationally acclaimed cave diver, scuba diver, environmentalist and filmmaker, died while filming underwater off the coast of Boynton Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, July 21. An investigation is under way to determine why Skiles was found unconscious and underwater near a reef and had not returned to the surface, as friends had thought he had.
Skiles is so well-known in the world’s diving community that by Thursday afternoon, July 22, the phrase “Wes Skiles” was the 11th-most searched phrase worldwide on Google. Further, National Public Radio (NPR) featured a story and audio report on Wes’ passing.
Skiles was in particularly good spirits over the past few weeks because his photography is featured on the cover and inside the current edition of National Geographic. Some of that work can be viewed HERE.
Skiles was particularly known locally for debuting his movie, "Water's Journey: The Hidden Rivers of Florida," at the Priest Theatre. He also did the underwater filming for the Hollywood movie, "The Cave," and had a clause in his contract that the movie debut at the Priest Theatre as well.
Further, he was known for his ongoing efforts to educate people about the aquifer and how easily it can be polluted. He even led efforts to have local sinkholes cleaned up.
The family has released the following obituary:
OBITUARY
Wesley Cofer Skiles, 52, of High Springs, Fla., passed away in Boynton Beach, Fla. on Wednesday July 21, 2010. Mr. Skiles was born on March 6, 1958 in Jacksonville, Fla. to James E. Skiles II and Marjorie Glenna Cofer Skiles.
Wes graduated from Englewood High School in Jacksonville with a passion for science. As Wes would say, he then enrolled in the School of Life and pursued a degree in "Curiology."
Wes was bigger than life, and his passions were infectious. He touched so many in his hope to educate about the springs and underground aquifers. When he began exploring caves as a teenager, he pursued the adventure of going where no one had ever been.
He began to see the deterioration of Florida’s underground world and made it his mission to show the world what was happening through powerful images. This led to the formation of Karst Environmental Services with his partner of 27 years, Pete Butt. Wes’ extraordinary gift for photography and filmmaking grew into Karst Productions. Through both companies, he used his passion to protect Florida’s waters.
Wes is survived by his wife Terri Skiles; son, Nathan Skiles; daughter, Tessa Skiles; a brother, James Edward Skiles III, his wife, Sharon and their children, Jimmy and Jessica; and a sister, Shirley Spohrer, her husband, George, and their daughter, Alexandra; Jacklyn Paulson, Cathy and Dean Andersen, Michael and Layla Paulson, friends and business partners Pete Butt and Georgia Shemitz, and all those whose lives he touched.
A Memorial Service and Celebration of Wes’ Life will be held at Ginnie Springs, 5000 NE 60th Ave., High Springs, Fla., 32643, on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. The Memorial Service will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Wes’s Life.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Wes’s name to: The Alachua Conservation Trust, found at AlachuaConservationTrust.org
HIGH SPRINGS -- Memorial services for High Springs’ Wes Skiles will be held at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, July 28 at Ginnie Springs, which will be opened to the public starting in the early afternoon that day. Hundreds, if not more than 1,000 people, are expected to attend.
The 6 p.m. memorial service will be followed by a “Celebration of Wes’ Life.” The celebration will last into the evening, and organizers are suggesting that attendees bring a beverage of their choice and a picnic supper or food to share.
Skiles, an internationally acclaimed cave diver, scuba diver, environmentalist and filmmaker, died while filming underwater off the coast of Boynton Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, July 21. An investigation is under way to determine why Skiles was found unconscious and underwater near a reef and had not returned to the surface, as friends had thought he had.
Skiles is so well-known in the world’s diving community that by Thursday afternoon, July 22, the phrase “Wes Skiles” was the 11th-most searched phrase worldwide on Google. Further, National Public Radio (NPR) featured a story and audio report on Wes’ passing.
Skiles was in particularly good spirits over the past few weeks because his photography is featured on the cover and inside the current edition of National Geographic. Some of that work can be viewed HERE.
Skiles was particularly known locally for debuting his movie, "Water's Journey: The Hidden Rivers of Florida," at the Priest Theatre. He also did the underwater filming for the Hollywood movie, "The Cave," and had a clause in his contract that the movie debut at the Priest Theatre as well.
Further, he was known for his ongoing efforts to educate people about the aquifer and how easily it can be polluted. He even led efforts to have local sinkholes cleaned up.
The family has released the following obituary:
OBITUARY
Wesley Cofer Skiles, 52, of High Springs, Fla., passed away in Boynton Beach, Fla. on Wednesday July 21, 2010. Mr. Skiles was born on March 6, 1958 in Jacksonville, Fla. to James E. Skiles II and Marjorie Glenna Cofer Skiles.
Wes graduated from Englewood High School in Jacksonville with a passion for science. As Wes would say, he then enrolled in the School of Life and pursued a degree in "Curiology."
Wes was bigger than life, and his passions were infectious. He touched so many in his hope to educate about the springs and underground aquifers. When he began exploring caves as a teenager, he pursued the adventure of going where no one had ever been.
He began to see the deterioration of Florida’s underground world and made it his mission to show the world what was happening through powerful images. This led to the formation of Karst Environmental Services with his partner of 27 years, Pete Butt. Wes’ extraordinary gift for photography and filmmaking grew into Karst Productions. Through both companies, he used his passion to protect Florida’s waters.
Wes is survived by his wife Terri Skiles; son, Nathan Skiles; daughter, Tessa Skiles; a brother, James Edward Skiles III, his wife, Sharon and their children, Jimmy and Jessica; and a sister, Shirley Spohrer, her husband, George, and their daughter, Alexandra; Jacklyn Paulson, Cathy and Dean Andersen, Michael and Layla Paulson, friends and business partners Pete Butt and Georgia Shemitz, and all those whose lives he touched.
A Memorial Service and Celebration of Wes’ Life will be held at Ginnie Springs, 5000 NE 60th Ave., High Springs, Fla., 32643, on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. The Memorial Service will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Wes’s Life.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Wes’s name to: The Alachua Conservation Trust, found at AlachuaConservationTrust.org