Dad’s last call before being swept away in Texas flood

A Texas father, caught in a deadly flash flood, used his final moments to call his children and tell them he loved them, as the search continues for him while his wife has been found.

The Brief

• • A Texas father, Jeff Ramsey, used his final moments during a flash flood to call his son and daughter and tell them he loved them.
  • Jeff and his wife, Tanya, were swept away in their camper during the flood. Tanya’s body has been recovered, and the search for Jeff is ongoing.
  • The family believes Jeff saved Tanya’s brother by calling him before the flood, and Jeff’s dog, Chloe, was found alive.

A Texas father used his final moments before being swept away in the raging Texas floodwaters, to call his son and daughter.

His son tells FOX 4 he is thankful that his dad used his final moments to tell him and his sister that he loved them. Fortunately, it is something they already knew.

What they’re saying:

Jake Ramsey, 24-year-old, and his sister Rachel, 23, could never have imagined the tragic turn a 4th of July getaway would take for their dad, Jeff, and his wife, Tanya.

Jeff Ramsey (left) & Tanya Ramsey (right)

“We had so many good times in that camper,” Jake said. 

“They were in the camper when it was swept away 26 feet in 45 minutes. That’s truly one of the most horrific disasters you can imagine.”

Once Jeff Ramsey realized it was too late for him and Tanya, he called his son, and then his daughter to say goodbye. 

“He left us both voicemails basically saying, ‘Hey buddy, I love you so much, I think this is it for us. Tell Rache-y, I love her’,” Jake tells FOX 4. “I listened to the message, and it broke me.”

The father’s next phone call was to his daughter.

“Hers came after mine, they were already heading downstream. You can hear the panic. Heartbreaking, we’ll never listen to those messages again.” 

Dad’s call saves brother-in-law

Before Jeff made those calls, he called Tanya’s brother, who was also camping nearby. 

“Thank the Lord, he called Tanya’s brother, because they would have probably slept in and been swept away in the flood as well,” said Jake.

Tanya’s body has been identified. The search is continuing for Jeff. 

The Ramsey’s believe they found parts of the camper.

Dad received a warning message

Dig deeper:

Jake logged on to see any text messages on his dad’s phone, and it turned out the warning message from the RV park went out at 4:49 in the morning. 

“He was saying his goodbyes to me and my sister when that happened,” said Jake. 

“I was a bit frustrated at first. I’m a big believer. My dad always said, ‘God has plans for you. He calls us to trust him no matter how terrible things get.'”

One bright moment

The other side:

Jake says one bright moment was finding Jeff’s dog, Chloe, in the aftermath.

Jake Ramsey holding his father’s dog, Chloe.

“She’s a little distraught but getting back in the swing of things,” he said.

The dog was turned into an animal shelter, where she was identified by her microchip.

“Everyone said the same thing, they said Jeff must have given her one last ‘umph’ out of the water and probably how she made it,” said Jake.

Jake tells FOX 4 about a lesson that his dad would want everyone to take away when bad things happen:”Treat every day like it’s your last. That is something he did. So grateful he had such a great heart.”

Remembering Jeff and Tanya Ramsey

Tanya was a breast cancer survivor, who was one year cancer-free. Tanya’s cancer battle connected her with wigs.com where she was the client care manager.

Tanya Ramsey & Jake Ramsey

Jeff was an insurance salesman with Miller Company. He also did a lot of volunteer work with the Adaptive Training Foundation, a gym for veterans who are amputees.