Honoring the Past, Restoring the Future
Press Release
Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation to Host Celebration of Life on July 4th for Public Safety Diver and Firefighter, Mark Phillips
Panama City Beach, FL – The Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation is honored to announce a Celebration of Life event for Mark Phillips, a dedicated Public Safety Diver and 33-year veteran firefighter. His cremains will be respectfully placed within his custom-designed artificial reef by his son, Chris Phillips. The ceremony will be held on July 4th at Lighthouse Marina in Panama City Beach, commemorating Mark’s extraordinary life and service.
On June 3, 2025, friends from Dive911 and North Florida Diving Services, with support from Point South Marina at Bay Point, successfully deployed Mark’s 3,000-pound, 8ft x 8ft x 8ft raw steel artificial reef into the Gulf. It features a Public Safety Diver emblem, plasma-cut by Steve Harman of Harman Metal Arts, based on a design by Kevin Angelilli of Tristar Scuba.
Gretchen Theodorou, Vice President of Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation, reflected on the deployment: “This was over a year in the making, and really the brainchild of Mark’s friend, Buck Buchanan. He reached out to us, and we just wanted to help him make Mark’s reef, and the Public Safety Diver reef, a reality.”
This marks the first of many Public Safety Diver reefs planned. A dedicated fund has been set up at WarriorMemorialReefs.org to grow this initiative.
Many individuals and organizations came together to support this deployment, including Public Safety Divers Buck Buchanan, Justin Hembrock, Robert Smith, Ben Perry, and Justin Bannerman. Point South Marina at Bay Point provided vital staging and support. Chantille Weber ensured proper deployment, Craig Cowdell captained the Colorblind, Tow Boat US handled the towing, and Mariano Lorde of Lordelife Cinema documented the entire process.
Event Details
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Date: July 4, 2025
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Time: 7:30 AM
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Location: Lighthouse Marina – 5325 N Lagoon Dr, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
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Contact: info@warriormemorialreefs.org
