As floodwaters tore through central Texas last Friday, a father’s final act has come to light – and it’s both chilling and heartbreaking.
Jeff Ramsey, 61, and his wife Tanya, 46, were asleep in their Airstream trailer at the HTR RV Park in Kerrville when the Guadalupe River rapidly rose, unleashing a wall of water that devastated everything in its path.
Just before the flood hit their trailer, Jeff picked up his phone to call his two children, Jake and Rachel, knowing they likely wouldn’t answer. Still, he left them a voicemail they’ll never forget.
“Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn’t look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her,” Jeff said in the heartbreaking message.
Jake told the New York Post that his dad’s voice was filled with panic — something he had never heard before.
Moments later, Jeff left another message for his daughter, Rachel. In the background, rushing water and Tanya’s terrified screams could be heard:
“We’re dying, we’re dying!”
It was the last time anyone heard from them.
A tragic failure to warn
What makes this story even more devastating is the timing.
Jeff received an evacuation alert from the RV park after the flood had already swept them away. Jake said the message came through just as Jeff was recording his goodbye to Rachel — far too late to make any difference.
He found the timing infuriating.
Though Jeff couldn’t save himself or Tanya, he used his final moments to warn Tanya’s brother and mother, who were staying in a nearby cabin.
His call woke them just in time. That cabin was later found completely destroyed.
“He rescued them because they would have slept in and they would have washed away,” Jake said. “He saved their lives.”
Tanya’s body was later recovered by search crews. She was identified by her distinctive tattoos. Jeff is still missing.
“She was our mom too”
Tanya was more than just a stepmom — she was family.
“We were her kids,” Jake said.
“Obviously we have a mom as well but we were her babies.”
Tanya was a breast cancer survivor who managed a wig shop in Dallas. Jeff, a longtime insurance salesman, was also deeply involved with the Adaptive Training Foundation, a Dallas-area gym helping amputees and others with physical challenges regain strength.
”You will be hard pressed to find a man with a bigger servants heart than this man. Thank you brother for your unwavering and endless support over the last 10 yrs for me and every soul you blessed at Adaptive Training Foundation. I am eternally grateful for getting to see you for one last huge hug last week.
Rest easy my brother, we will carry your name on with love and light,” one of Jeff’s friends, Morris Brossette, wrote on Facebook.
A small miracle: Chloe survives
Amid the heartbreak, the family was given one piece of good news. The couple’s beloved dog, Chloe — a whippet they rescued years earlier — was found alive at a local animal shelter.
Jake is still reeling from the loss and says the lack of warning from officials was unacceptable. He believes more could’ve been done to save lives.
At a memorial service, he met with Texas state Sen. Tan Parker, who reportedly promised that the alert system would be fixed.
But for Jake, it was too little, too late.
“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.”
As the waters recede and the community counts its losses, Jeff’s final message to his children serves as a gut-wrenching reminder of just how fast lives can be changed — or lost — in the face of nature’s fury.
We’re sending love and strength to all affected by this unimaginable tragedy. Keeping the Ramsey family and everyone impacted in my thoughts!
