A Texas father’s final voicemails, filled with love and desperation, captured his farewell as floodwaters engulfed his RV, while his heroic efforts saved others in his last moments.
At 24, Ethan Carter was jolted awake by a call that changed everything. His father, Tom Carter, trapped with his wife, Lisa, in Kerrville, Texas, floodwaters, left heart-wrenching messages for Ethan and his sister, Sophie, as their RV was swept away during a Fourth of July camping trip.
Ethan shared, “Dad called while we were sleeping. He said he didn’t think they’d make it and told us he loved us, saying goodbye.” The first voicemail to Ethan was brief but crushing: “Son, I love you so much. It’s not looking good. Tell Sophie I love her.”
A second message to Sophie, 23, revealed the chaos—rushing water and Lisa’s cries of “We’re not going to make it!” in the background. Ethan, still reeling, said, “Dad never sounded scared, but his voice was pure panic.”
The RV park’s evacuation alert came too late, arriving as the flood overtook Tom and Lisa. “The text to evacuate hit his phone as they were swept away, right when he left Sophie’s message,” Ethan said, calling it a nightmare no one could prepare for.
Amid the chaos, Tom called Lisa’s sister and parents, warning them to flee the rising waters. “He saved their lives,” Ethan said. “They’d have been caught sleeping otherwise.”
The tragedy cut deeper with Lisa’s story. At 46, she was battling breast cancer, working as a customer service lead at a wig company. In a February 2024 podcast, she shared her diagnosis of stage 2-3 invasive ductal carcinoma, found after Tom noticed a lump in August 2023. She spoke of losing her hair during chemo but finding strength in Tom’s support, who gently helped her choose wigs that felt like her. After 12 rounds of treatment, she described the journey as humbling, taking it “day by day.”
Lisa loved Ethan and Sophie like her own, despite not being their biological mother. “She treated us like her kids,” Ethan said. Tom, 61, worked at a community fitness center, where he saw “miracles” in clients recovering from injuries. “He said it was his purpose,” Ethan recalled.
The Kerrville floods claimed both Tom and Lisa, leaving Ethan and Sophie to grieve. Their father’s selflessness and stepmother’s warmth live on in their memories, a bittersweet legacy of love amid loss.
Share this story to honor Tom and Lisa’s memory and support all families touched by this tragedy. Their love and courage shine through the darkness.