Who Was Jeff Ramsey? Dad Leaves Harrowing Goodbye Voicemails to His Children Before Dying with Wife in the Devastating Texas Floods

International Business Times

09-07-2025

A Texas father recorded emotional farewell voicemails for his children moments before he and his wife were swept away by raging floodwaters, the couple's son said.
Jeff Ramsey, 61, an insurance agent from Lewisville, is missing after a deadly flash flood swept through his Airstream camper at the HTR RV Park in Kerrville, where he had been staying with his wife, Tanya, 46, and their dog, the New York Post reported. "Once they realized there was nothing they could do, my stepmom was on the phone with her mom while my dad made a call to me and my sister. We were asleep," the couple's son, Jake, told The Post.
Final Goodbye to His Children
"He left us a message saying he was not going to make it and that he loved us so much, telling us goodbye," Jake said. "He called me once he realized there was no hope. It was a short voicemail. He just left me a voicemail. He said, 'Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn't look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her,'" the heartbroken son recalled, adding how unusual it was to hear his father sounding fearful.
"You never heard this guy panic but we heard panic and fear in his voice," he told the outlet.
The sound of the rushing floodwaters could be heard in a voicemail left for his sister just minutes later, with his stepmother screaming in the background, "We're dying, we're dying!"
Jeff also spent some of his final moments trying to alert Tanya's brother and mother — who were staying in a separate cabin roughly 150 yards from the river — calling them at 4:30 a.m. to warn them about the approaching danger.
"He rescued them because they would have slept in and they would have washed away. That cabin was destroyed, completely underwater. He saved their lives," said Jake.
Jeff, who was active with the Adaptive Training Foundation — a gym dedicated to helping amputees and people in wheelchairs — is survived by his children, Jake, 24, and Rachel, 23.
"There are miracles happening in that gym all the time. People walking that haven't walked in years or since their accident. My dad always told me that was his calling," he said, recalling he was often there with Chloe.
"Tanya was full of love too. We were her kids. Obviously we have a mom as well but we were her babies."
Orphaned in No Time
Rescue teams eventually recovered Tanya's body, identifying her by her unique tattoos. A breast cancer survivor, Tanya had worked as a manager at a wig store in Dallas. In a stroke of luck, the family was able to locate their dog, Chloe, at a nearby animal shelter thanks to her microchip.
"That was the only good news that we've gotten all weekend. My sister and I were overjoyed because that is such a huge piece of my dad's heart and my stepmom's heart," said Jake.
"We were so excited to figure out that she was coming home."
Sadly, while Jake was going through his father's computer, he came across an emergency alert text from the RV park — sent far too late to have helped.
"Right, literally, the same time he left her that voicemail as they were getting swept away, they received an evacuation text from their RV park saying 'Gather your belongings and head out as soon as possible.' It was ridiculous," the distraught son said.
"I saw that he got that text as they were floating away. Literally right as he left my sister that goodbye message," he added.
"It's your worst nightmare."
When asked whether he believed county and state officials had done enough to warn people in the flood's path, he described the evacuation efforts as "lousy."
He shared that he spoke with state Senator Tan Parker (R-Wise) during a memorial service on Monday, who promised that legislators would work to improve the alert system and described the current situation as "unacceptable."
However, the senator's response offered little consolation to Jeff.
"There should have been more that was done. The only thing I'm aware of that was done was my dad was sent a text after it was already too late. He already said goodbye to me and my sister," he said.