Texas Camp Mourns 8-Year-Old Mary Stevens
“I’ve given strength training to hundreds of boys. to lose. to stand again. However, I never received any guidance on how to cope with the loss of my daughter. — There was silence on social media. And for the first time, millions of people prayed for a father who had just lost everything, not for a team. The goal of Camp Mystic was to foster childhood joy, adventure, and laughter. However, it has turned into a place of unfathomable grief for one family in Austin, Texas.
After the Texas Hill Country experienced severe flooding, eight-year-old Mary Stevens, a camper full of light and smiles, was reported missing. Day and night, search teams had been working nonstop to get her home safely. However, authorities confirmed the discovery of Mary’s body this morning. Although specifics are still being worked out, it is evident that this community has been completely upended.
Her campmates, parents, and friends are inconsolable. There are plans to hold a candlelight vigil in her honor, and there are increasing calls for youth camps to prepare better for flooding. How many more tragedies must occur before we call for reform?
Texas flash flood victim’s mother seeks help finding daughter’s favorite stuffed animal after tragedy at Camp Mystic
A mother who lost her daughter to the devastating Texas floods, which left at least 120 dead and several others missing, is seeking help from people to locate her child’s favorite stuffed animal. Her 8-year-old daughter was among the victims of the floodwaters that swept through Camp Mystic.
Mary is among the campers and counselors who died at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, the region that witnessed the worst impact of the flood. At least 120 people have lost their lives in central Texas since the July 4 disaster. At least 173 people are still missing, according to officials. Those missing include five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic.
“Looking for my daughter’s monkey that she has had her whole life and took with her to camp,” Stacy Stevens’s Facebook post read. “We lost my daughter and would love to have it back, as it was her most prized possession,” the post further read.
Stacy Stevens said Mary was “fearless,” “enthusiastic,” and “full of joy” in a statement shared with the Austin American-Statesman. “Our world is shattered, but I have peace getting your letters and knowing you were having the time of your life at camp and had a dance party with all of your friends before the Lord decided to take you from us,” Stacy wrote. “He has bigger plans for you.”
Friends and family of the Stevens family, in a GoFundMe organized for their daughter Mary, describe her as a child who touched the hearts of anyone she met. “Her laughter was infectious, her heart was generous, and her presence brought joy and comfort,” according to the fundraiser.
Mary Stevens attended Highland Park Elementary School in north-central Austin. She is survived by her parents, Stacy and Johnny, and her siblings, Graham and Lilly, who, according to the GoFundMe campaign, “are now navigating unimaginable grief.”