MEMORIAL SERVICE, PADDLE OUT SET FOR FORMER PROFESSIONAL SURFER FOUND DEAD ON BEACH
By Tom Bolton, updated January 24, 2019 12:07 pm.
A memorial service and paddle out will be held next month for Chris Brown, a commercial fisherman and former professional surfer who was found dead last weekend on a Santa Barbara beach. The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy. A paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor following the memorial service.
Brown’s body was found at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara, about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. Investigators are still looking into the manner and cause of Brown’s death, according to Anthony Wagner, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Autopsy and toxicology results are expected next week, Wagner told Noozhawk.
Brown, 48, of Santa Barbara — whose nickname was Brownie — was a standout professional surfer in the 1990s. He also was known as a big-wave surfer, frequenting epic breaks such as Mavericks in Northern California. He eventually gave up professional surfing and became a commercial sea urchin diver but continued to ply the waves at his favorite breaks, notably Rincon Point.
Brown is survived by his wife, Jenny, and their daughter, Chloë.
Source: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article225027015.html.
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HUNDREDS CELEBRATE LIFE OF FORMER PRO SURFER CHRIS BROWN AT MEMORIAL, PADDLE-OUT
By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk | February 22, 2019 | 8:30 a.m.
After a hope- and faith-filled celebration of the life of former professional surfer Chris Brown, hundreds of family, friends and fans paddled out in the Santa Barbara harbor to give him the send-off he deserved. Chris Brown is surfing eternal waves now.
Brown died under tragic circumstances Jan. 19 at age 48. But Feb. 16 was all about the impact he had and the inspiration he was for others, as well as “Brownie’s” electrifying smile and his talent with a surfboard.
More than 1,400 people — including surfing royalty like Kelly Slater — packed Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for the service. Leading the celebration was the always uplifting Pastor Ricky Ryan, a mainstay of the church’s early years who is now at Harvest at Kumulani Chapel in Maui, and Britt Merrick, the founding pastor of Reality Carpinteria who has since returned to his roots at Channel Islands Surfboards.
Afterward, several hundred surfers joined the paddle-out off the harbor’s sandspit, one of Brown’s favorite surf breaks. Hundreds more watched from the breakwater and Stearns Wharf.
Out on the water, Brown’s 22-year-old daughter, Chloë, and his parents, Jane and Dave Brown, shared a special poem before spreading his ashes from the back of a boat.
Architect and lifelong surfer Michael Holliday, a friend of Brown’s, provided an up close-and-personal account of both the service and the paddle-out, along with a terrific splash of photos.
Brown, who ruled the waves in the 1980s and ’90s, retired from the pro circuit after 15 years and then went to work as a commercial fisherman and sea urchin diver.
On a Saturday afternoon in January, his body was discovered below the bluffs of the Douglas Family Preserve about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. As bad as that was, it got worse when the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau released autopsy results.
“It was determined that Brown died as a result of drowning due to blunt force injuries, which were caused by the decedent’s descent from height to the rocky surf line below,” Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner said.
“Other significant conditions include acute methamphetamine intoxication.”
Brown’s injuries were so severe, he said, “he was unable to remove himself from the surf line.”
A GoFundMe page was established to support Chloë Brown.
******************
For tributes, photos, and videos from Brownie's friends and fellow surfers, see: http://towsurfer.com/2019/01/chris-brownie-brown-memorial-service-paddle-out-announcement/
See also the 1994 article from Surfer magazine on Brown republished in 2019 following his death. Retrievable online at: https://www.surfer.com/features/revelation-man-chris-brown/
By Tom Bolton, updated January 24, 2019 12:07 pm.
A memorial service and paddle out will be held next month for Chris Brown, a commercial fisherman and former professional surfer who was found dead last weekend on a Santa Barbara beach. The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy. A paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor following the memorial service.
Brown’s body was found at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara, about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. Investigators are still looking into the manner and cause of Brown’s death, according to Anthony Wagner, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Autopsy and toxicology results are expected next week, Wagner told Noozhawk.
Brown, 48, of Santa Barbara — whose nickname was Brownie — was a standout professional surfer in the 1990s. He also was known as a big-wave surfer, frequenting epic breaks such as Mavericks in Northern California. He eventually gave up professional surfing and became a commercial sea urchin diver but continued to ply the waves at his favorite breaks, notably Rincon Point.
Brown is survived by his wife, Jenny, and their daughter, Chloë.
Source: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article225027015.html.
****************
HUNDREDS CELEBRATE LIFE OF FORMER PRO SURFER CHRIS BROWN AT MEMORIAL, PADDLE-OUT
By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk | February 22, 2019 | 8:30 a.m.
After a hope- and faith-filled celebration of the life of former professional surfer Chris Brown, hundreds of family, friends and fans paddled out in the Santa Barbara harbor to give him the send-off he deserved. Chris Brown is surfing eternal waves now.
Brown died under tragic circumstances Jan. 19 at age 48. But Feb. 16 was all about the impact he had and the inspiration he was for others, as well as “Brownie’s” electrifying smile and his talent with a surfboard.
More than 1,400 people — including surfing royalty like Kelly Slater — packed Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for the service. Leading the celebration was the always uplifting Pastor Ricky Ryan, a mainstay of the church’s early years who is now at Harvest at Kumulani Chapel in Maui, and Britt Merrick, the founding pastor of Reality Carpinteria who has since returned to his roots at Channel Islands Surfboards.
Afterward, several hundred surfers joined the paddle-out off the harbor’s sandspit, one of Brown’s favorite surf breaks. Hundreds more watched from the breakwater and Stearns Wharf.
Out on the water, Brown’s 22-year-old daughter, Chloë, and his parents, Jane and Dave Brown, shared a special poem before spreading his ashes from the back of a boat.
Architect and lifelong surfer Michael Holliday, a friend of Brown’s, provided an up close-and-personal account of both the service and the paddle-out, along with a terrific splash of photos.
Brown, who ruled the waves in the 1980s and ’90s, retired from the pro circuit after 15 years and then went to work as a commercial fisherman and sea urchin diver.
On a Saturday afternoon in January, his body was discovered below the bluffs of the Douglas Family Preserve about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. As bad as that was, it got worse when the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau released autopsy results.
“It was determined that Brown died as a result of drowning due to blunt force injuries, which were caused by the decedent’s descent from height to the rocky surf line below,” Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner said.
“Other significant conditions include acute methamphetamine intoxication.”
Brown’s injuries were so severe, he said, “he was unable to remove himself from the surf line.”
A GoFundMe page was established to support Chloë Brown.
******************
For tributes, photos, and videos from Brownie's friends and fellow surfers, see: http://towsurfer.com/2019/01/chris-brownie-brown-memorial-service-paddle-out-announcement/
See also the 1994 article from Surfer magazine on Brown republished in 2019 following his death. Retrievable online at: https://www.surfer.com/features/revelation-man-chris-brown/
MEMORIAL SERVICE, PADDLE OUT SET FOR FORMER PROFESSIONAL SURFER FOUND DEAD ON BEACH
By Tom Bolton, updated January 24, 2019 12:07 pm.
A memorial service and paddle out will be held next month for Chris Brown, a commercial fisherman and former professional surfer who was found dead last weekend on a Santa Barbara beach. The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy. A paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor following the memorial service.
Brown’s body was found at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara, about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. Investigators are still looking into the manner and cause of Brown’s death, according to Anthony Wagner, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Autopsy and toxicology results are expected next week, Wagner told Noozhawk.
Brown, 48, of Santa Barbara — whose nickname was Brownie — was a standout professional surfer in the 1990s. He also was known as a big-wave surfer, frequenting epic breaks such as Mavericks in Northern California. He eventually gave up professional surfing and became a commercial sea urchin diver but continued to ply the waves at his favorite breaks, notably Rincon Point.
Brown is survived by his wife, Jenny, and their daughter, Chloë.
Source: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article225027015.html.
****************
HUNDREDS CELEBRATE LIFE OF FORMER PRO SURFER CHRIS BROWN AT MEMORIAL, PADDLE-OUT
By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk | February 22, 2019 | 8:30 a.m.
After a hope- and faith-filled celebration of the life of former professional surfer Chris Brown, hundreds of family, friends and fans paddled out in the Santa Barbara harbor to give him the send-off he deserved. Chris Brown is surfing eternal waves now.
Brown died under tragic circumstances Jan. 19 at age 48. But Feb. 16 was all about the impact he had and the inspiration he was for others, as well as “Brownie’s” electrifying smile and his talent with a surfboard.
More than 1,400 people — including surfing royalty like Kelly Slater — packed Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for the service. Leading the celebration was the always uplifting Pastor Ricky Ryan, a mainstay of the church’s early years who is now at Harvest at Kumulani Chapel in Maui, and Britt Merrick, the founding pastor of Reality Carpinteria who has since returned to his roots at Channel Islands Surfboards.
Afterward, several hundred surfers joined the paddle-out off the harbor’s sandspit, one of Brown’s favorite surf breaks. Hundreds more watched from the breakwater and Stearns Wharf.
Out on the water, Brown’s 22-year-old daughter, Chloë, and his parents, Jane and Dave Brown, shared a special poem before spreading his ashes from the back of a boat.
Architect and lifelong surfer Michael Holliday, a friend of Brown’s, provided an up close-and-personal account of both the service and the paddle-out, along with a terrific splash of photos.
Brown, who ruled the waves in the 1980s and ’90s, retired from the pro circuit after 15 years and then went to work as a commercial fisherman and sea urchin diver.
On a Saturday afternoon in January, his body was discovered below the bluffs of the Douglas Family Preserve about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. As bad as that was, it got worse when the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau released autopsy results.
“It was determined that Brown died as a result of drowning due to blunt force injuries, which were caused by the decedent’s descent from height to the rocky surf line below,” Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner said.
“Other significant conditions include acute methamphetamine intoxication.”
Brown’s injuries were so severe, he said, “he was unable to remove himself from the surf line.”
A GoFundMe page was established to support Chloë Brown.
******************
For tributes, photos, and videos from Brownie's friends and fellow surfers, see: http://towsurfer.com/2019/01/chris-brownie-brown-memorial-service-paddle-out-announcement/
See also the 1994 article from Surfer magazine on Brown republished in 2019 following his death. Retrievable online at: https://www.surfer.com/features/revelation-man-chris-brown/
By Tom Bolton, updated January 24, 2019 12:07 pm.
A memorial service and paddle out will be held next month for Chris Brown, a commercial fisherman and former professional surfer who was found dead last weekend on a Santa Barbara beach. The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy. A paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor following the memorial service.
Brown’s body was found at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara, about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. Investigators are still looking into the manner and cause of Brown’s death, according to Anthony Wagner, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Autopsy and toxicology results are expected next week, Wagner told Noozhawk.
Brown, 48, of Santa Barbara — whose nickname was Brownie — was a standout professional surfer in the 1990s. He also was known as a big-wave surfer, frequenting epic breaks such as Mavericks in Northern California. He eventually gave up professional surfing and became a commercial sea urchin diver but continued to ply the waves at his favorite breaks, notably Rincon Point.
Brown is survived by his wife, Jenny, and their daughter, Chloë.
Source: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article225027015.html.
****************
HUNDREDS CELEBRATE LIFE OF FORMER PRO SURFER CHRIS BROWN AT MEMORIAL, PADDLE-OUT
By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk | February 22, 2019 | 8:30 a.m.
After a hope- and faith-filled celebration of the life of former professional surfer Chris Brown, hundreds of family, friends and fans paddled out in the Santa Barbara harbor to give him the send-off he deserved. Chris Brown is surfing eternal waves now.
Brown died under tragic circumstances Jan. 19 at age 48. But Feb. 16 was all about the impact he had and the inspiration he was for others, as well as “Brownie’s” electrifying smile and his talent with a surfboard.
More than 1,400 people — including surfing royalty like Kelly Slater — packed Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for the service. Leading the celebration was the always uplifting Pastor Ricky Ryan, a mainstay of the church’s early years who is now at Harvest at Kumulani Chapel in Maui, and Britt Merrick, the founding pastor of Reality Carpinteria who has since returned to his roots at Channel Islands Surfboards.
Afterward, several hundred surfers joined the paddle-out off the harbor’s sandspit, one of Brown’s favorite surf breaks. Hundreds more watched from the breakwater and Stearns Wharf.
Out on the water, Brown’s 22-year-old daughter, Chloë, and his parents, Jane and Dave Brown, shared a special poem before spreading his ashes from the back of a boat.
Architect and lifelong surfer Michael Holliday, a friend of Brown’s, provided an up close-and-personal account of both the service and the paddle-out, along with a terrific splash of photos.
Brown, who ruled the waves in the 1980s and ’90s, retired from the pro circuit after 15 years and then went to work as a commercial fisherman and sea urchin diver.
On a Saturday afternoon in January, his body was discovered below the bluffs of the Douglas Family Preserve about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. As bad as that was, it got worse when the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau released autopsy results.
“It was determined that Brown died as a result of drowning due to blunt force injuries, which were caused by the decedent’s descent from height to the rocky surf line below,” Santa Barbara police spokesman Anthony Wagner said.
“Other significant conditions include acute methamphetamine intoxication.”
Brown’s injuries were so severe, he said, “he was unable to remove himself from the surf line.”
A GoFundMe page was established to support Chloë Brown.
******************
For tributes, photos, and videos from Brownie's friends and fellow surfers, see: http://towsurfer.com/2019/01/chris-brownie-brown-memorial-service-paddle-out-announcement/
See also the 1994 article from Surfer magazine on Brown republished in 2019 following his death. Retrievable online at: https://www.surfer.com/features/revelation-man-chris-brown/
Gravesite Details
Chris's ashes were committed to the sea by family and friends.
