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 81 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 Rasgdale
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
Blair and Brooke Harber
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
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
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
Dick Eastland
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
Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence
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."
Contributing: Charles A. Ventura, USA TODAY
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