Nicolas Cureton Reef

3 sets of 4 Lindberg Cube Reef Modules Running North/South

“Nicholas was carefree. And happy.”

Delilah Cureton,

Nicholas’ sister

The first time Vicki Cureton heard about OAR was from her son, Nicholas, who suggested creating a memorial reef for grandfather, Raymond Diehl. “He had read about Bill Bryson’s reef just after Papa died, but I wasn’t comfortable trying to make that happen at the time—and I had no idea how to even do it,” remembers Vicki Cureton, his mother.

When Nicholas died unexpectedly in 2005 at age 24, she remembered her son’s idea, which prompted the family to request that donations be made to OAR in Nicholas’ memory. “We didn’t know anything about the cost or the details, but we kept in touch with the OAR guys and they guided us through the entire process of getting a reef for Nicholas,” Vicki said.

The Nicholas Cureton Reef, only the second that OAR had created, turned out to be nothing more than some donated culverts and rubble that OAR deployed in the Carrabelle 10 Mile area of the Gulf. “We laughed when we heard that, because Nicholas was a loose, easy-going, non-structured kind of guy,” said Vicki. “This was before we knew that we could purchase reef structures, but it didn’t matter. The rubble kind of fit him!”

While the reef gave the family a tangible way to honor Nicholas, they didn’t expect that now, after 10 years, the reef would also give them an ongoing sense of connection to Nicholas. “He was the fourth generation to spend summers and weekends fishing and skiing at St. Teresa. The water was his get-away, especially during the two years prior to his death,” said Vicki. “Now we have a grandson, Charlie, who loves to fish, and it’s really special to think that the reef will be there for his generation to appreciate.”

“We really have to give credit to Nicholas,” she continues. “The reefs do a whole lot of good for everybody. It’s the neatest legacy for all these young men who loved the water—they will live on forever. I can imagine Nicholas right now saying, ‘I’ve got my name on a fishing chart—how cool is that!’”

From Vicki Cureton:

From the time Nicholas was old enough to hold a fishing pole we

knew that he had a love for the sport of fishing. The older he

became the more often and more passionate he became not only

about his love of fishing but his pure joy of being on the water of

the Gulf of Mexico. We were fortunate enough to have a family

home on St. Teresa Beach and Nicholas was raised spending as

much time there as possibly. Saltwater ran in his veins. When

his grandfather passed, Nicholas wanted to pursue a memorial

reef for him, our family was not postured to make that happen

and the opportunity passed. So, when Nicholas was killed in a car

accident, it was one of the best things we knew we wanted to do

for his memory. We contacted OAR and began asking friends and

family for their support. With lots of help, we were able to make it

happen. Having a memorial reef in our son’s name is a special

legacy that will live on for generations to come, it will never die.

We have a grandson now that loves the salt water and fishing as

much as Nicholas. Some of his favorite fishing trips are on

Nicholas’s memorial reef. As Nicholas’ parents we feel so

fortunate to have had this opportunity to create a legacy for him

that will remain way past our lifetimes. Our hopes are that young

and old alike will enjoy spending time on Nicholas’ reef as much

as he enjoyed his time on the waters of St. Teresa Beach.

Location:

Reef Photos