Kerr County, Texas — John Burgess of Liberty, Texas, is being remembered as a devoted father and loving husband who gave his life trying to protect his children during the catastrophic Fourth of July flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
Burgess was staying with his wife, Julia Anderson Burgess, and their two young sons at the Blue Oak RV Park in Ingram when sudden flash floods swept through Kerr County. The family had traveled to the area for the holiday weekend and to pick up their eldest daughter from a nearby summer camp. She remains safe.
According to witnesses, the floodwaters rose with terrifying speed—nearly 26 feet in just 45 minutes—after intense rainfall overwhelmed the Guadalupe River. In the chaos, Burgess was seen clinging to a tree, holding his children tightly in an effort to shield them from the raging current.
“He was holding tight to his babies,” said Lorena Guillen, owner of the Blue Oak RV Park, in an emotional account shared with local and national outlets. “My husband was in the water trying to help, asking, ‘Please throw me your baby!’ But John just got swept away.”
Guillen described a night of horror and heartbreak as cabins and RVs were torn from their foundations, smashing against trees and sweeping families downstream. “We heard people screaming throughout the night,” she said. “The screaming was unbearable.”
John and Julia’s bodies were later recovered. Their sons remain missing as first responders continue search and recovery operations in the area.
The Burgess family’s RV—and all 28 RVs parked at Blue Oak that morning—were destroyed in the flood. “Everything was gone,” Guillen said. “Every single RV, every vehicle, washed away.”
The loss has devastated both Liberty and the wider Texas community. “We’ve all been praying,” said local neighbor Winnie Taylor. “It’s just heartbreaking. I can’t believe something so tragic happened on a holiday meant for joy.”
John Burgess was a graduate of China Spring High School in the Waco area. Friends and relatives remember him as a kind, hardworking, and fiercely devoted father. “He died doing what any parent would—protecting his children with every ounce of strength he had,” said a family friend.
The flooding that took Burgess’s life is now one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history. As of July 7, officials report at least 104 deaths statewide, including 84 in Kerr County alone. The toll includes 28 children, many of whom were swept away in the same region.
In response to the devastation, Guillen has created a GoFundMe campaign to support rebuilding efforts at the Blue Oak RV Park. As of July 8, the fundraiser had surpassed $1,200.
Plans for funeral services for John and Julia Burgess are forthcoming. Community vigils are already being held in their memory, with candles lit, prayers offered, and families gathering to grieve together.
As Texas continues to mourn, the story of John Burgess stands as a powerful reminder of the love, sacrifice, and courage that shine through even in the darkest moments. His final act was one of bravery—a father holding on for his children.
