Texas flooding victims: From young campers to a dad saving his family, what we know about the lives lost
Young campers at Camp Mystic and a dad saving his family were among the dozens killed in the historic flash floods that tore through central Texas over the holiday weekend.
Here’s what we know about the lives lost:
Chloe Childress
Chloe Childress, a counselor at Camp Mystic, was set to attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall.
She “lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith,” her family said in a statement. “Returning as a counselor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic.”
Jonathan Eades, the head of The Kinkaid School, from which she graduated earlier this year, remembered Childress as someone who had a “remarkable way of making people feel seen” and “steady compassion that settled a room.”
“Whether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone’s burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave. She understood what it meant to be part of a community, and more than that, she helped build one,” Eades wrote in a letter to the school community.
Childress “lost her life upholding this selfless and fierce commitment to others,” Eades said.
“A loyal and beloved friend to all who knew her, Chloe led with empathy. Her honesty gave others the courage to speak up. Her resilience helped others push through. Her joy, so present in all the little things, reminded all who knew her to keep showing up with heart,” he said.
Jane Ragsdale
Jane Ragsdale was the director of the Heart O’ the Hills Camp for Girls.
“We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane’s death,” Heart O’ the Hills Camp said in a 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.”
Julian Ryan
Julian Ryan, 27, died after trying to help his family escape their trailer home in Ingram, according to his sister, Connie Salas.
Ryan and his fiancée woke up early Friday to ankle-deep water inside their home, and within moments, the water surged to waist level, she said.
As their mattress began to float, the couple placed their 13-month-old and 6-year-old sons on top for safety, Salas said. The bedroom door, swollen shut from water pressure, would not open.
In a desperate attempt to escape, Ryan tried to break a window and suffered a severe cut to his arm, Salas said.
He began to bleed profusely, Salas said, and as the water rose to their chins, Ryan’s mother shouted for help.
Ryan lost consciousness before help could arrive, she said.
“I love you. I’m so sorry,” were Ryan’s last words to his fiancée when he realized he wasn’t going to survive, the family said.
“He didn’t die in vain,” Salas told ABC News. “He died a hero.”
Katheryn Eads
Katheryn Eads and her husband were camping in an RV when they got separated in the floodwaters, her daughter said.
“Dr. Katheryn Eads lived a fulfilling life, cut far too short,” the Eads family said in a statement. “She was an incredible wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and person who spent her life helping kids, from those in the foster care system early in her career to those in school, both in early education as a psychologist and in college as a professor. Trying to figure out our lives without her is a possibility we never planned to face and we will always miss her.”
Hanna Lawrence and Rebecca Lawrence
Camp Mystic victims Hanna Lawrence and Rebecca Lawrence were 8-year-old twin sisters from Dallas.
Their 14-year-old sister, Harper, survived the flooding, their family said.
“It has been an unimaginable time for all of us,” their grandfather, David Lawrence Jr., said. “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.”
Sarah Marsh
Sarah Marsh, 8, of Mountain Brook, Alabama, was a camper at Camp Mystic, Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said.
“This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community. Sarah’s passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her,” the mayor said in a statement.
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt wrote on social media that she’s “keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time.”
Dick Eastland
Dick Eastland, who served as the longtime director of Camp Mystic with his wife, died trying to save the lives of his campers, according to public officials.
“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,” his grandson, George Eastland, wrote on Instagram. “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.”
He called his grandfather a “dear friend, fishing buddy, hunting guide, golf partner, avid Texas Longhorns fanatic, my #1 fan, and above all else: a hero.”
“What I’ll take most from you is your positive attitude, servant heart, and ability to remain faithful in the toughest of times,” George Eastland wrote. “Through battling cancer to the death of your son James, you showed me what a strong Christian man looks like. You loved others when they didn’t love you back, and were so quick to help out when anyone at camp had the slightest inconveniences. Although I am devastated, I can’t say I’m surprised that you sacrificed your life with the hopes of someone else’s being saved.”
He “made everyone feel safe and seen,” former Camp Mystic counselor Ryan Robinson told ABC News Live.
“He is just truly the most selfless, kind, father figure to thousands of girls,” Robinson said. “I had the privilege of teaching the fishing class with him at Camp Mystic, and those are truly some of my favorite life memories. I felt lucky every single day that I got to talk to Dick.”
Janie Hunt
Janie Hunt, 9, was also among the victims. Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter said Janie was cousins with his granddaughters, who survived the flooding.
“God of grace & comfort, we thank you for our precious little niece, Janie Hunt. Thank you for the special place she held in all our hearts,” Janie’s aunt, Libby Hunt, wrote on social media. “We thank you for the love in which she was born and for the care in which she was given by her loving parents.”
“As we remember times of love & laughter, we thank you for the sweet love we all shared with darling, little Janie,” she continued. “We continue to pray for, Camp Mystic, The Hill Country & for those that have passed away & their families & those that are still missing.”
Blair Harber and Brooke Harber
Sisters Blair Harber, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, who were staying with their family near the Guadalupe River, were in the loft of their cabin with their rosaries when the flooding began, according to the St. Rita Catholic Community in Dallas. The sisters’ bodies were found together 15 miles away the next day.
Blair, a rising eighth grader, “had the kindest heart and loved to serve others,” the St. Rita Catholic Community said in a statement.
She was an “outstanding student” who took advanced classes, the statement said, and she “served as a Student Ambassador, proudly guiding prospective families through the school.”
She participated in yearbook, speech and drama, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and cheerleading, the statement said, and was planning to audition for the lead role in the eighth grade play.
Brooke, a rising sixth grader, was also an “excellent student” and was an “accomplished soccer, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse player,” the statement said.
“She, too, loved speech and drama and had a particular gift for improv that brought smiles and laughter to those around her,” the statement said. “Brooke never met a stranger and loved everyone she met.”
Reece Zunker and Paula Zunker
Reece Zunker, a soccer coach and teacher in Kerrville, Texas, and his wife, Paula Zunker, both died in the flooding, according to the Kerrville Independent School District.
Their children were reported missing, the district said.
Reece Zunker’s soccer team called him a “mentor, teacher and a role model” who “rebuilt the soccer program and left a legacy.”
“Reece was a passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach,” the school district said in a statement. “His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten. Paula, a former Tivy teacher, also left a lasting mark on our community. The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later.”
Jeff Wilson
Jeff Wilson, a high school teacher of three decades in Humble, Texas, died in the floods, and his wife and son were reported missing, his brother-in-law said, according to the Humble Independent School District.
Wilson “was a beloved teacher and co-worker to many and will be deeply missed,” the school district said. “Please continue to keep their entire family, and ours, in your prayers.”
