Latest news with #JaneRagsdale
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Woman Who Lived for Her Summer Camp Was Found Dead at Home on the Property After Texas Floods. How Her Legacy Will Live On
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. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories 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 Solve the daily Crossword
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
A deadly 1987 flood scarred the same Texas county that is reeling through another disaster
Cindy Manley was a summer camp counselor in 1987 when a different devastating flood scarred the Texas Hill Country. The Heart O the Hills camp is on the Guadalupe River where a massive search continues for more than 160 people who are believed to still be missing after catastrophic flooding over the July Fourth holiday. Decades earlier, Manley said there was an informal system in place when the river started rising: camps upstream would call down a warning and then get kids out of their bunks and to higher ground. During the flood of 1987, Manley recalled a floating canoe injuring camp director Jane Ragsdale. But Ragsdale, 68, was among the more than 100 victims who died in the flooding that began July 4, many of them in Kerr County. 'This water, it did something different,' Manley said. 'Jane knows floods more than anybody else. There's no way she would have been sitting in her house if she had thought this was dangerous.' It is at least the fifth time in the last century that flooding near the Guadalupe River has turned deadly. The area, which is known locally as Flash Flood Alley, has hills that quickly gather water and funnel it into narrow river banks. Water rises fast, catching people by surprise. Here is a look at the river's deadly history of flooding. Frantic evacuations in 1987: This mid-July flood killed 10 teenagers and injured 33 others. Water overwhelmed the river and its tributaries, forcing hundreds to flee. At a Christian academy, buses evacuating children initially encountered modest flooding. While some vehicles turned around in time, a bus and van were stranded when the river rose rapidly. As the children were trying to leave the stranded buses to safety, a wall of water estimated to be as much as half a mile wide rushed upon the campers, according to a government report. 'It scattered the kids.' A bus with Seagoville Road Baptist Church on the side was pictured slammed against tangled trees at an angle and partly under water. A deadly morning flood in 1978: The amount of rain was extraordinary – 30 inches fell on parts of the Hill Country between Aug. 1 and 3. It killed 33 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the flooding that hit the Hill Country struck early in the morning, 'the worst possible time from the point of view of data collection, warning dissemination, and community reaction.' Heavy rains in the early 1990s: A large portion of the state flooded, killing at least 13 people and causing vast damage, especially to agriculture. Month after month of 1991 was wetter than normal. Then more than half of the state was hit with more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain over a six-day period ahead of Christmas. That caused flooding not only in the Guadalupe basin but created what officials called 'one of the most voluminous floods recorded in the history of the State of Texas.' Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas, and writer Albee Zhang contributed from Washington.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
A deadly 1987 flood scarred the same Texas county that is reeling through another disaster
Cindy Manley was a summer camp counselor in 1987 when a different devastating flood scarred the Texas Hill Country. The Heart O' the Hills camp is on the Guadalupe River, where a massive search continues for more than 160 people who are believed to still be missing after catastrophic flooding over the July Fourth holiday. Decades earlier, Manley said there was an informal system in place when the river started rising: camps upstream would call down a warning and then get kids out of their bunks and to higher ground. During the flood of 1987, Manley recalled a floating canoe injuring camp director Jane Ragsdale. But Ragsdale, 68, was among the more the than 100 victims who died in the flooding that began July 4, many of them in Kerr County. 'This water, it did something different,' Manley said. 'Jane knows floods more than anybody else. There's no way she would have been sitting in her house if she had thought this was dangerous.' It is at least the fifth time in the last century that flooding near the Guadalupe River has turned deadly. The area, which is known locally as 'Flash Flood Alley,' has hills that quickly gather water and funnel it into narrow river banks. Water rises fast, catching people by surprise. Here is a look at the river's deadly history of flooding. Frantic evacuations in 1987 This mid-July flood killed 10 teenagers and injured 33 others. Water overwhelmed the river and its tributaries, forcing hundreds to flee. At a Christian academy, buses evacuating children initially encountered modest flooding. While some vehicles turned around in time, a bus and van were stranded when the river rose rapidly. As the children were trying to leave the stranded buses to safety, a 'wall of water, estimated to be as much as half a mile wide, rushed upon the campers,' according to a government report. It scattered the kids. A bus with Seagoville Road Baptist Church on the side was pictured slammed against tangled trees, at an angle and partly under water. A deadly morning flood in 1978 The amount of rain was extraordinary – 30 inches fell on parts of the Hill Country between Aug. 1 and 3. It killed 33 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the flooding that hit the Hill Country struck early in the morning, 'the worst possible time form the point of view of data collection, warning dissemination and community reaction.' Heavy rains in the early 1990s A large portion of the state flooded, killing at least 13 people and causing vast damage, especially to agriculture. Month after month of 1991 was wetter than normal. Then more than half of the state was hit with more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain over a six-day period ahead of Christmas. That caused flooding not only in the Guadalupe basin but created what officials called 'one of the most voluminous floods recorded in the history of the State of Texas.' ___ Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas, and writer Albee Zhang contributed from Washington. ___
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Twin sisters. Woman who 'shaped generations of campers': Texas flood victims remembered
A director of a Texas summer camp for girls who was known as the "heart and soul" of the program. Two sisters found together after being swept away by floodwaters. A beloved teacher from the Houston metropolitan area. Destructive flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that rapidly overwhelmed the Guadalupe River has killed at least 100 people across central Texas. State and local officials said search and rescue efforts were still underway, including for 10 children and a counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp at the edge of the Guadalupe River. At least 27 children and counselors from the all-girls summer camp, which has long had ties to top Texas political figures, have died. The river surged over 26 feet in less than an hour on July 4, carrying away cars, RVs and structures. It blew out the wall of one camp building where children slept, leaving debris-covered mud amid pink blankets and stuffed animals. Flooding-related deaths have been reported in six counties. The victims include summer camp directors, teachers, grandparents, parents, and children. Here are the stories of those who lost their lives: Jane Ragsdale was the "heart and soul" of Heart O' the Hills, a summer camp for girls in Kerr County, according to the program's website. She was a camper and a counselor there before becoming a co-owner of the camp in 1976. Ragsdale later served as the camp's program director from 1978 to 1987, and went on to become the camp director in 1988, the website added. In a statement, the camp said it was "right in the path of the flood" and its facilities sustained serious damage. They noted that since the camp was between sessions when the flooding occurred, no children had been staying there. "However, our Director and the camp's longtime co-owner, Jane Ragsdale, lost her life. We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane's death," the camp said in the statement. "She embodied the spirit of Heart O' the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer." The camp also paid tribute to Ragsdale in a Facebook post, saying she was "the heart of The Heart." "Jane wasn't just our director, she was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important. Her kindness, strength, and wisdom shaped generations of campers and staff," the post states. "Her legacy lives in every laugh heard on the hill, every tradition passed down, every song we sing, every manner she taught us and every life she touched, which is too many to count," the post continued. − Thao Nguyen Two young sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, were staying in Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday when their "lives were tragically cut short" by flooding along the Guadalupe River, according to St. Rita Catholic School. The school said in a statement on Facebook that Blair was a rising eighth grader, while Brooke was entering the sixth grade. The school described Blair as an "outstanding student" who was enrolled in advanced classes and actively involved in school activities. She played several sports, cheered for the school's cheerleading team, served as a student ambassador, and was part of the yearbook team and speech and drama program. Brooke was an "excellent student who brought joy and energy wherever she went," according to the school. She also played several sports, and loved speech and drama, in which she had a gift for improv, the school noted. "Blair had the kindest heart and loved to serve others," the school said. "Brooke never met a stranger and loved everyone she met." The two girls had been with their grandparents, who remain missing, when the flooding occurred. The girls' parents were in a separate cabin and were safe, according to the school. "Blair and Brooke were young women of deep faith, and religion was one of their favorite subjects. On the night they died, they went to the loft of their cabin with their rosaries," the school said. "When Blair and Brooke were found the next day, fifteen miles downriver, they were together. Even in their last moments, they held tightly to each other, a powerful symbol of their lasting bond and their trust in God." − Thao Nguyen Jeff Wilson died in the flood, according to a social media post from the Humble Independent School District. "Tonight our #HumbleISDFamily is grieving the devastating loss of @HumbleISD_KPHS teacher Jeff Wilson, who passed away due to the catastrophic flooding in Kerrville," the school district said, which is located in the city of Humble in the Houston metropolitan area. Wilson had been a teacher in the school district for 30 years. He worked at both Humble High School and Kingwood Park High School. "He was a beloved teacher and co-worker to many and will be deeply missed," according to the school district. "Jeff's brother-in-law has shared that at this time, Jeff's wife Amber and son Shiloh are still considered missing. Please continue to keep their entire family, and ours, in your prayers." − Thao Nguyen Sarah Marsh, an 8-year-old from suburban Birmingham, Alabama, died in the flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas, according to Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch. Welch said the city of Mountain Brook was heartbroken over the "tragic loss" of Sarah, who was a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary. The mayor noted that the community would come together and support the Marsh family. "This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community," Welch said in a statement on Facebook. "Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her. As we grieve alongside the Marsh family, we also remember the many others affected by this tragedy." − Thao Nguyen Camp Mystic owner Richard "Dick" Eastland died while trying to save campers, the Houston Chronicle and the Washington Post reported. Family and friends of Eastland described him as a father figure for generations of girls who attended the summer camp, according to the Chronicle. In an Instagram tribute, his grandson said Eastland was more than his grandfather. He said Eastland was his "dear friend, fishing buddy, hunting guide, golf partner, avid Texas Longhorns fanatic, my #1 fan, and above all else: a hero." "If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for," George Eastland wrote in the post. "That's the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched." − Thao Nguyen The twin granddaughters of David Lawrence Jr., the former publisher of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, were among the dozens killed over the weekend, he told the Miami Herald. The girls, both 8 years old, and their sister, 14, attended Camp Mystic, the newspaper reported. 'It has been an unimaginable time for all of us," Lawrence told the Herald. "Hanna and Rebecca gave their parents, John and Lacy, and sister, Harper, and all in our family, so much joy. They and that joy can never be forgotten." Bobby and Amanda Martin were vacationing with other family members in an RV campground near Ingram, Texas along the Guadalupe River when the floodwaters hit. John Martin, Bobby Martin's father, told USA TODAY that authorities had identified the bodies of the Odessa, Texas couple following the devastating floods on July 4. Bobby, 46, and Amanda, 44, had gone to high school together, he said. Each had children from a previous relationship before they had found a new chapter together. 'They always were adventurous. They always went hiking, climbing, kayaking and camping,' he said. 'They're in a better place now.' Four months ago, Bobby Martin had started a new job at a West Texas company that provided anchors and bolts to the oil & gas industry, according to his Linkedin page. 'This is a huge loss not only for their family but for everyone who knew these two truly amazing people,' according to the GoFundMe for the family. Bobby Martin's son − Odessa police officer Bailey Martin, 23 – was also with them and was later found dead. -Chris Kenning Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck were 'best friends' who died together, Peck's mother, Missy Peck, told KDFW FOX 4 in Dallas. She described her daughter as being 'friends with everyone' and said she 'loved spaghetti, but not more than she loved dogs and animals.' 'Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the eight years she was with us. Especially her mommy,' Peck said. She is 'now an angel,' the family said in a separate statement given to KXAS NBC 5 in Dallas. Bonner's family also told the outlet they are suffering 'unimaginable grief' and 'ache with all who loved her.' The family said it could not confirm further details about Bonner's death and asked for privacy amid their grief. Both girls attended Bradfield Elementary School in the Highland Park Independent School District, according to the Dallas Morning News. A district statement described the flooding as an 'unimaginable tragedy,' that killed 'multiple' students. It offered counseling services to students and staff in the wake of the event. People across the state tied green ribbons around trees over the weekend in the girls' memory. Highland Park High School's parent-teacher association also said its members would be tying the ribbons around their homes and campuses across the district. 'Together, our Scots will show our support of our district's young students who we love greatly,' its Facebook post read. − BrieAnna J. Frank Chloe Childress, 19, was spending the summer as a counselor at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River – mentoring children who she also worked to save from floodwaters. Childress was among dozens killed when sudden river flooding swept through the Christian camp on July 4, according to a statement from her Houston-based family. 'Our family was shocked to hear of the horrific tragic flooding in the hill country, and we were devastated to learn that our precious Chloe was among the victims. While we know that her joy is now eternal and her faith has become sight, our hearts are shattered by this loss and the similar heartbreak of other families like ours,' the family said. She graduated from The Kinkaid School in Houston earlier this year, where an administrator recalled her 'steady compassion that settled a room,' ABC reported. She planned to attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall. She died after working to save younger campers during the floods, according to the New York Post. 'She lost her life upholding this selfless and fierce commitment to others,' Jonathan Eades, the head of the Kinkaid School, said in a statement. Childress 'lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace and abiding faith,' her family said. -Chris Kenning A cherished Kerrville high school soccer coach and his wife were among the victims of Friday's flash flooding, the Kerrville Independent School District confirmed. 'It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our beloved teachers, Reece Zunker, and his wife, Paula,' the district said on its Facebook page. The couple's two children, Lyle and Holland, remain missing, the district said. Zunker was a dedicated father figure who cared about his players and students, staying in touch with them even after graduation and showing up for team dinners originally designed to give him a night off, said Jayne Zirkel, whose sons Jasen, now 25, and Jake, a 17-year-old senior, both played soccer for him. 'He was fierce on the field, and he stood up for his boys,' said Zirkel, who works with the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country. 'If there was a call he didn't agree with, he let the officials know. And he did it in a respectful way. But his players knew that he had their back, and he knew that they had his.' Zunker joined Tivy High School in 2012 and led the 2018-19 boys' soccer program to a 22-3-1 record and perhaps the school's most successful playoff run, Zirkel said. But more than that, whether on the field or in his classroom, he instilled in his players a sense of belonging and support. 'In some cases he was probably the only positive male role model that they saw, because he spent so much time with them,' Zirkel said. 'If you play only soccer here in Kerrville, you were with him year-round.' : On its Facebook page, the Tivy High School boys' soccer program mourned the loss of an inspiring leader whose mantra was 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' the motto of his favorite soccer team, Liverpool F.C. 'Coach Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach,' it said. 'He was a mentor, teacher and a role model for our Kerrville kids. He rebuilt the soccer program and left a legacy. His passion for his players, students, co-workers, community and his family will never be forgotten.' The district praised Reece Zunker as a committed and passionate instructor whose 'unwavering dedication to our students, athletes and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten' and commended Paula Zunker, a former Tivy teacher, for her enduring impact on students. 'Together, we will navigate this grief one day at a time,' the district said. Zirkel said Reece Zunker also led and advocated for Tivy's construction trades program, overseeing projects in which students built tiny houses, with the eventual sale funding the next construction project. 'He was very forward thinking,' she said. 'He wanted to make sure the program thrived.' She described Zunker's wife Paula as 'a really sweet person.' 'She was always there to support Reece,' Zirkel said. 'She was a great mom. Those kids were amazing and they were a very wonderful family.' -Marc Ramirez The Fourth of July season had always been a big deal for the Burwick family. For years, Tanya Burwick, 62, and her husband, Robert Glenn, ran the Burwick Fireworks Stand in Blackwell, Texas, said daughter Lindsey Brown Burwick. In recent years, as the couple of 42 years grew older, they started handing the reins to Lindsey and her brother Zac. It was on the Fourth when Tanya set out on her normal 40 minute commute to her employer, Walmart, in nearby San Angelo. She never made it. Instead, Lindsey said her mother called her father early in the morning, saying she was in 'the midst of running into flooded waters.' He tried to calm her while setting out to find her. But it was too late. Authorities had already closed the roads and she had stopped answering her phone. As the search continued, Lindsey said and her brother questioned if they should keep the stand open or not. The community of Blackwell, though, took that burden from them and ran the stand for them. She said family members and close friends also helped in the search when they couldn't immediately get to San Angelo because of road closures. 'We just felt comforted in our time of grief,' she said. She added that she and her family were grateful to the San Angelo police department and their efforts to find her mother The younger Burwick said her mom enjoyed spending time with her dad in the pasture tending to their cows and horse, playing word games or watching Reels on her phone during her free time. She was down to earth and raw just like her mother, said Lindsey. The family also received an outpouring of support from people who knew her at Walmart and remarked on her kindness. In a Facebook post from the Walmart where she worked, customers left comments describing Burwick as 'sweet.' 'Her dedication, warmth, and spirit touched so many of us over the years,' the post by the Walmart store read. 'She will be truly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with her.' -Chris Quintana Katheryn Eads, 52, spent 'a fulfilling life, cut far too short' helping young people ranging from foster kids to college students, her daughter told USA TODAY. 'Trying to figure out our lives without her is a possibility we never planned to face and we will always miss her,' Victoria Eads wrote in a text message. Eads died in the Texas floods while camping with husband, Brian Eads, according to a fundraiser for the family. She had worked at the University of Texas at San Antonio since 2022 and recently became a full-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology in the College for Health, Community and Policy, according to a university news release. 'Through her insight, expertise and unwavering commitment to student success, she inspired generations of learners and colleagues alike,' said Heather Shipley, the provost. 'Her absence leaves a profound void at UTSA, but her impact will continue to resonate through the lives she touched.' Eads told USA TODAY her father had been caught in the flooding and that he was doing 'physically doing alright - a few stitches, badly bruised, but he's alive and I'm very thankful for that.' In addition to her husband, Eads is survived by her children and grandchildren. Victoria Eads said she knew it wouldn't ease the grief of parents whose lost children in the flooding, but that she hoped they knew, 'there's a momma up there helping them and giving them hugs until their parents get back to them.' -Chris Quintana Julian Ryan died out of love for his family. The 27-year-old punched a window to get his fiancé, Christina Wilson, children and mother onto the roof of their Ingram, Texas, home that was quickly flooding on July 4, Wilson told KHOU 11 in Houston. The move 'almost cut it (his arm) clean off' and Ryan had lost 'all his blood' by 6 a.m., Wilson said. 'He looked at me and the kids and my mother-in-law and (said), 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all,'' she said. That made him 'the hero in this story,' Connie Salas, Ryan's sister, told the outlet. Kris Roberts said his late best friend was the 'kindest person I've ever met in my life.' A GoFundMe for Ryan's family had raised nearly $100,000 as of July 7. It further described Ryan as having an 'infectious laugh and unwavering kindness.' 'He touched countless lives with his humor and will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,' it said. − BrieAnna J. Frank Parents of three are among those who died in the Texas flooding over the Fourth of July weekend, according to a family member's post on X. John Burgess IV and Julia Anderson Burgess had been camping near the Guadalupe River with their sons on July 4th when they went missing. Michael Schwab, a former video editor with The Tennessean in Nashville and the USA TODAY Network, is cousin to Julia, and he has written on X that both parents have been found dead. He told USA TODAY the family is requesting privacy. In his post, Schwab stated that the two boys, 5 and 1, remain missing. Their daughter, according to Schwab, had been at another camp but had made it home safely. −Chris Quintana Janie Hunt, a 9-year-old who was a relative of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, was killed in the flood while attending Camp Mystic. Janie's mother and grandmother both confirmed the deaths to various news outlets. Clark's wife, Tavia Hunt, addressed it in an Instagram post. 'Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives – including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend's little girls,' she said. It was her first time at Camp Mystic and she was joined by six of her cousins who survived, her grandmother, Margaret Hunt, told the New York Times. -Chris Kenning Joyce Badon, 21, was staying at a cabin in Hunt, Texas for a weekend with friends when the flooding hit. 'A flash flood came through and washed their cars away. It happened so quickly with so much water, they could not get in the attic,' her mother, Kellye Badon, said on Facebook. Kellye and her father, Ty Badon, rushed to the area to find her. Ty Badon later confirmed to NBC News that she had been recovered and identified. Joyce's Facebook page said she went to a Catholic high school in Beaumont, Texas and studied at the Savannah College Of Art And Design. 'God showed us the way' to find her, her mother posted on social media. She later displayed a photo of rainbow that read, 'Joyce Catherine telling us from heaven 'all is well with my soul.'' - Chris Kenning Anna Margaret Bellows, 8, was a 'radiant joy.' That's how her mother, Patricia Bellows, described her to a Houston TV station, adding that she was fun and kind. Bellows had gone to the same camp as a child. Her daughter had been staying in the camp's Bubble Inn cabin, where some still remained missing. Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland died in the raging floodwaters trying to evacuate children from her cabin. Family members confirmed to the Houston Chronicle that Anna had died. "I have unending gratitude for these brave camp counselors who safely evacuated so many campers. And to the two camp counselors who gave their lives trying to protect my baby, and to Dick Eastland, who died protecting my baby," Bellows told ABC13-TV. -Chris Kenning Renee Smajstrla was thrilled to be at Camp Mystic with her friends, according to a Facebook post from her uncle, Shawn Salta. He shared a photo taken on July 3 in which Smajstrla flashes a toothy grin at the camera while seated next to someone just out of frame. In it, she holds a piece of paper with a pink bag slung across her shoulder. Salta explained in his July 4 post that Smajstrla had been missing earlier, but had 'been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly.' An NBC affiliate in the Dallas area also reported that it had spoken to Smajstrla's mother who said her daughter had died in the flooding. Salta wrote the family was grateful that she was, 'with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday.' 'She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic,' he wrote. −Chris Quintana She was a 'bright light in our close-knit family,' St. Anne Catholic Church said of Mary Grace Baker, 8, who perished in the floods while attending Camp Mystic. The church said in a social media post that the Beaumont, Texas family had received confirmation of her death and had asked for privacy. 'We are heartbroken at the loss of our Mary Grace. Words are difficult to find, but we take comfort that her earthly body has been found, and her pure soul is now wrapped in the arms of Jesus,' St. Anne said. She loved art, dance, attending grade school at the parish school and playing little league. She'd recently celebrated her first communion and finished second grade. 'She was a girls' girl who loved pink, sparkles and bows in her signature angelic ringlet curls,' the church said. 'Her giggle was contagious, as was her spirit.' She had been missing in the aftermath of the torrent of floodwaters that slammed into the camp set on the Guadalupe River. Father Andrew Moore of St. Anne shared her mother's social media post. 'We have felt all of your prayers and support the past couple of days. Please continue to lift us up, as we do not see how we can possibly carry on without her,' Katie Baker said. -Chris Kenning Bailey Martin, a 23-year-old police officer in his hometown of Odessa, Texas, was among those who died in the flooding, the Odessa Police Department announced Tuesday. 'We are deeply saddened to share with our community that Odessa Police Officer Bailey Martin has been found and, tragically, is deceased,' the department posted on Facebook. Martin was among several family members who had made the trip to the Guadalupe River near Kerrville to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. His father and stepmother also perished, and Martin's girlfriend remains missing. In 2022, the department featured Martin in a separate post as one of that year's police academy recruits, saying he'd envisioned a law enforcement career even at a young age, hoping to become a detective. 'I wanted to join because the world we live is always changing,' Martin was quoted as saying. 'I wanted to do everything I can to be part of my community as it grows, allowing me to preserve the peace and safety.' Odessa police officers are wearing mourning bands over their badges and the department flags have been lowered to half-staff. The department is also encouraging Odessa residents to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs until the weekend in Martin's memory. 'We will remember his service,' the Texas Municipal Police Association posted on social media. 'We will honor his sacrifice.' -Marc Ramirez It was less than two months ago that 9-year-old Lainey Landry of Houston made her first communion. A photo shared by St. George Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana − where Landry's grandmother is a parishioner − shows Landry with a braces-filled smile, wearing a white dress and flower crown, and holding her hands in a prayer position at the May 10 ceremony. The church asked for the public to pray for Landry's family and offer a rosery for 'the families seeking comfort, strength and healing as they grieve the loss of their children.' It urged the devout to lean on their faith and ended its post by quoting Psalm 34:18: 'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.' Laynie Weaver, whom the Houston Chronicle identified as Landry's cousin, said in a July 6 Facebook post that Landry 'is in heaven' and asked for continued prayers for all affected by the flooding, including Landry's 'grieving family.' 'The fact that she was found is somewhat of a miracle itself,' Weaver wrote. 'Prayers, positive (thoughts), kind energy and love are powerful.' − BrieAnna J. Frank It was Greta Toranzo's third time at Camp Mystic, according to a Facebook post from her mother Ellen. Her child had been 'overjoyed to be reunited with her camp friends for weeks of fun, laughter, sports, and sisterhood.' It was also her last. Her mother wrote on Tuesday that Toranzo was caught in the Fourth of July flooding and had lost her life. 'Whether at home, at school, in the pool, or on the tennis court, Greta radiated joy,' her mom wrote on July 8. 'She was kind, creative, and full of love and also brave, athletic, and determined.' The family requested privacy as they grieve the 'unimaginable loss of our Greta.' The Timbergrove Sports Association, a non-profit youth sports group in Texas that Torzano was part of, wrote on Facebook that she had 'brought joy to everyone around her at TSA.' Her impact in the community was made clear earlier in the week too. A parent teacher group associated with Sinclair Elementary, Toranzo's school, had posted photos of a vigil on July 5. Toranzo had been missing at the time. The images show throngs of people, many of them children, all gathered in hope of Toranzo's return. Most wore blue, her favorite color. −Chris Quintana Randy Schaffer met his wife Mollie in June 1967, just weeks after they graduated from high school. They'd been together ever since. In the end, the Houston criminal defense lawyer wrote in a moving Facebook post, they would be separated only by the raging waters of the Guadalupe River. Kent Schaffer, Schaffer's brother and also a criminal defense attorney in Houston, described his sister-in-law as 'an incredibly nice person' who never had a bad thing to say about anyone and always followed through if someone asked for her help. A devotee of the theater, she was an ardent arts supporter, he said. The Schaffer brothers, while Jewish, were not practicing, but Mollie, who had converted to Judaism, would nonetheless cook elaborate Passover dinners. 'She became more Jewish than all of us,' Kent Schaffer said. 'Everything she made was pretty. She didn't serve food in tin pans. It looked like a work of art.' Still, being a good person was Mollie's specialty, he said, the kind of person all the kids rushed to hug at holiday gatherings. 'People would say, 'she's a saint' – mostly because she could put up with all of us,' he said. 'Especially in a family of lawyers. We're very contentious, passionate people.' The weather had seemed fine, Randy Schaffer wrote in his Facebook post, when the couple turned in Thursday night at the River Inn Resort in Hunt, Texas, where they were marking their 46th year visiting the riverfront area with an ever smaller group of law school friends. 'They'd meet there every summer for an extended weekend,' Kent Schaffer said. 'It was always the same hotel. They'd float around the river and have barbecues. That's the way they'd stay in touch with each other.' At 3 a.m. Friday, the couple awoke to loud banging on their door, Randy Schaffer wrote. It was the manager, telling them they had to evacuate immediately 'because the river was about to overflow the banks.' 'I looked out the window and saw the river raging like Niagara Falls,' he wrote. At the manager's direction, he wrote, they got into Mollie's SUV and began driving toward a nearby hill. Instead, they saw cars ahead of them turning around to rush back the other way. His wife stopped on the shoulder of the road as the water quickly rose around the vehicle, sweeping it into the current. The car hit a tree, he wrote, then spun onto the road again. 'We knew that we had to get out of the car,' he said. 'However, the doors wouldn't open.' Mollie lowered the SUV's front windows and told him to dive out feet first, he said. It was difficult; the seat was too low, the window too high. He fell back onto the seat. 'You have to push harder,' Mollie told him. Those were the last words he ever heard her say, he wrote. He pushed as hard as he could and went out the window. The current pulled him underwater toward the river, propelling him into a pole. 'I wrapped my arms around the pole and climbed up until my head was above water,' he wrote. 'I looked for and called to Mollie but didn't see her or the car. She had been swept into the river.' He held onto the pole for an hour until the water finally began to recede and his feet touched ground. His wife's body was recovered on July 6. 'Mollie died in a manner consistent with how she lived – selflessly taking care of someone else before she took care of herself,' Randy Schaffer wrote. 'She wouldn't leave the car until she was sure that I had done so. She saved my life.' — Marc Ramirez Contributing: Charles A. Ventura, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas flooding victims remembered by families and communities
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
A deadly 1987 flood scarred the same Texas county that is reeling through another disaster
Cindy Manley was a summer camp counselor in 1987 when a different devastating flood scarred the Texas Hill Country. The Heart O' the Hills camp is on the Guadalupe River, where a massive search continues for more than 160 people who are believed to still be missing after catastrophic flooding over the July Fourth holiday. Decades earlier, Manley said there was an informal system in place when the river started rising: camps upstream would call down a warning and then get kids out of their bunks and to higher ground. During the flood of 1987, Manley recalled a floating canoe injuring camp director Jane Ragsdale. But Ragsdale, 68, was among the more the than 100 victims who died in the flooding that began July 4, many of them in Kerr County. 'This water, it did something different,' Manley said. 'Jane knows floods more than anybody else. There's no way she would have been sitting in her house if she had thought this was dangerous.' It is at least the fifth time in the last century that flooding near the Guadalupe River has turned deadly. The area, which is known locally as 'Flash Flood Alley,' has hills that quickly gather water and funnel it into narrow river banks. Water rises fast, catching people by surprise. Here is a look at the river's deadly history of flooding. Frantic evacuations in 1987 This mid-July flood killed 10 teenagers and injured 33 others. Water overwhelmed the river and its tributaries, forcing hundreds to flee. At a Christian academy, buses evacuating children initially encountered modest flooding. While some vehicles turned around in time, a bus and van were stranded when the river rose rapidly. As the children were trying to leave the stranded buses to safety, a 'wall of water, estimated to be as much as half a mile wide, rushed upon the campers,' according to a government report. It scattered the kids. A bus with Seagoville Road Baptist Church on the side was pictured slammed against tangled trees, at an angle and partly under water. A deadly morning flood in 1978 The amount of rain was extraordinary – 30 inches fell on parts of the Hill Country between Aug. 1 and 3. It killed 33 people. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the flooding that hit the Hill Country struck early in the morning, 'the worst possible time form the point of view of data collection, warning dissemination and community reaction.' Heavy rains in the early 1990s A large portion of the state flooded, killing at least 13 people and causing vast damage, especially to agriculture. Month after month of 1991 was wetter than normal. Then more than half of the state was hit with more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain over a six-day period ahead of Christmas. That caused flooding not only in the Guadalupe basin but created what officials called 'one of the most voluminous floods recorded in the history of the State of Texas.' ___ Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas, and writer Albee Zhang contributed from Washington. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
