Woman Who Lived for Her Summer Camp Was Found Dead at Home on the Property After Texas Floods. How Her Legacy Will Live On

Yahoo

19-07-2025

Jane Ragsdale, the owner and director of Heart o' the Hills summer camp, became trapped by the floodwaters and did not surviveNEED TO KNOW
When Texas floodwaters hit Heart o' the Hills summer camp on July 4, camp owner and director Jane Ragsdale got trapped inside her home on the property
"She had always been proud of the fact that even in the biggest floods, in 1978 and 1987, her home had been unaffected by the water," her son tells PEOPLE
Even after her death, loved ones say the camp will continue to be shaped by an informal slogan that's often repeated by campers: 'What would Jane do?'During the time it took Deen Howell to put on his socks and boots, the car he was rushing to get ready to move from the driveway at Heart o' the Hills summer camp in Hunt, Texas, had already floated away.
'The water was starting to creep up toward the lodge," Howell tells PEOPLE. "I thought, 'I've got to move it behind the kitchen where everything will be alright."
Howell grew up on the camp's property and had seen flooding before, initially thinking they'd have minor property damage and lose a few canoes. But the water was rising quickly. 'It was unprecedented,' describes Howell.
Only eleven people were in the lodge on the early morning of July 4 as camp was in between sessions — and all of them survived. They scrambled behind the building along the face of the nearby cliff, 'basically sticking to the walls,' to get to higher ground, he says.
Still, the catastrophic flooding destroyed 17 cabins, causing some of the most severe structural damage of any area camp. The floodwaters also trapped his mother, Jane Ragsdale, 68, owner and director, in her home on the property.
Howell had used Wi-Fi to call her several times that morning. She told him water was in her house and to call his uncle, Jeeper Ragsdale, the owner and director of the nearby Camp Stewart for Boys.
'It was shocking to hear this,' says Howell. 'She had always been proud of the fact that even in the biggest floods, in 1978 and 1987, her home had been unaffected by the water. She was confident in its safety.'
When the waters finally receded, Ragsdale's body was found inside her home.
Ragsdale, who started out at Heart o' the Hills as a camper and counselor, had been the co-owner of the camp since 1976. She previously served as Program Director from 1978 to 1987, going on to became the Camp Director in 1988.
Not only did she live at the camp, but her son says she lived for everything that had to do with Heart o' the Hills: the culture, the wildlife as well as the campers, counselors and staff.
'She could tell you about anybody — every camper, family, every plant, any bird, or critter, anything screeching out there in the night. She could tell you what it was. No problem,' says Howell, Ragsdale's only child with his father, Richard "Dick" Howell, who died in 2022.
'She knew how everything was connected,' he says.
Those connections made by Ragsdale were also deeply rooted with other camps in the area. Ragsdale was raised on the grounds of Camp Stewart after her parents, Kathy and Silas, purchased the camp in 1967. She was both a camper and a counselor at Camp Mystic — where over two dozen died in the floodwaters — before working full-time at Heart.
Martha Muckleroy, Ragsdale's friend of 50 years, recalls their conversations as counselors together at Mystic.
'We'd talk about how to get campers to become their very best selves. She really believed that we were all capable of this all the time – and she lived that,' says Muckleroy.
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There's an informal slogan at Heart o' the Hills that's repeated by campers: 'What would Jane do?'
Maddy Muslow, 19, who was going to start her tenth summer at camp on July 4, this time as a counselor, remembers when they made bracelets with the slogan.
Thinking about what Jane would do meant to be thoughtful, inquisitive, inclusive, and leave a positive impact on the people around you. Now, the saying will help the Heart community share and continue her legacy. 'She shaped who I am today,' says Maddy.
'Jane was present tense,' says Muckleroy. 'She lived where her feet were. That's why people were so attracted to be around her, because right now is what mattered.'
Memories that campers and counselors share about Ragsdale center around her joy.
'I swear she always had a resting smiling face,' says Paige White, a longtime camper, counselor and staff member. 'I don't think I ever once looked at Jane and she didn't have a soft smile.'
Even if years had passed, Ragsdale was known to never forget a camper and greeted them with that same smile.
Since the flooding disaster, hundreds of volunteers have been helping to clean up the damage and retrieve precious mementos like sisterhood blankets and necklaces
'It's unbelievable how much has already been done, but also how much there is still to do,' says Molly Crow, a former Heart camper and staffer. 'In the camping world, traditions are very important. We're trying to refurbish these items and remember where everything was before the flood. We're relying on one another to bring back a lot of this."
A nonprofit in Ragsdale's honor is also in the early planning stages.
Although so much is unknown, the spirit of the Heart community is resilient and grateful.
'The buildings are gone, but the lives are still there,' says Crow. 'I know that deep down in my heart that every girl who stepped through those gates will do whatever is in our power to help the Ragsdale's and Deen. We're determined to see Jane's legacy live on.'
To learn how to help support the victims and recovery efforts from the Texas floods, click here.
Read the original article on People
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