He was Pastor Emeritus of Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church of North Fort Myers which he served for 32 years, retiring from there in July of 2006. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force in which he served four years and four years in the Air Force Reserve.

Following his service in the Air Force, he was employed by Raytheon Company in the Missile Systems Division as a technical writer. In 1963, he resigned from Raytheon and entered college pursuant to attending Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary from which he graduated in 1969.

Rev. Countiss has served the Presbytery of Peace River as its Stated Clerk since 1990 and continues to serve in that capacity. In 1997, he was elected to the General Assembly Advisory Committee on the Constitution and served two 3 year terms, retiring from that office in 2003.

Rev. Countiss is an avid fisherman and enjoys wood working as well. Elizabeth is active in the Red Hat Society. They have one daughter, Terry, who is a resident of Cape Coral, FL. The Countisses have a silky haired terrier, Arthur, a Maine coon cat, Sylvia, and several birds, both parakeets and love birds. They reside in Willow Creek in North Fort Myers.