{"id":64667,"date":"2025-07-14T10:53:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/64667\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:53:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:53:12","slug":"burleson-family-mourns-loss-of-parents-in-central-texas-floods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/64667\/","title":{"rendered":"Burleson family mourns loss of parents in Central Texas floods"},"content":{"rendered":"

After days of agony waiting for news on their missing mother and father, lost during the July 4 flooding<\/a> in Central Texas, the Brake family now has answers.<\/p>\n

Robert Brake Jr. of Burleson said late last week he received confirmation from the Texas Rangers that his mother, Joni Kay Brake, had been recovered and positively identified. His father, Robert Brake Sr., had been recovered previously.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family \u2014 my brother Lucas, my sister Liza and I \u2014 have walked through unimaginable heartbreak. But we have not walked it alone,\u201d Brake said in a public statement.<\/p>\n

The Brakes, who live in Abilene, were last seen<\/a> at 4:45 a.m. July 4 at HTR TX Hill Country RV Park & Campground. It was their first visit to Kerrville, where they went to spend the Fourth of July with one of their sons and his wife.<\/p>\n

D-FW Weather Wise<\/p>\n

From snow to 100-degree heat, we’ve got you covered.<\/p>\n

Related:Search resumes for flood victims in Central Texas after new round of rain subsides<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fourth of July was a favorite holiday for our family, and unfortunately, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to be the case anymore,\u201d their grandson Ryen Brake told WFAA.<\/p>\n

The Brakes\u2019 RV was caught in rushing waters<\/a> when nearly 15 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes. The Brakes leave behind three children, five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

The Brake family\u2019s story captured hearts across the world, with millions offering prayers, hope and encouragement. From news interviews to shared posts and silent prayers, the response has been overwhelming, showing the power of community and faith during times of crisis, Robert Brake Jr. said.<\/p>\n

Related:Kerr County considered adding warning sirens years before flood. Why didn\u2019t it happen?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father preached kindness,\u201d he said. \u201cHe taught us to love people, to help when we could, and to never take one another for granted. And in these days of sorrow and searching, I have seen that message come to life. Strangers became friends. Communities became extended families. There has been so much beauty in this tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related:Remembering the victims of the Kerr County floods<\/a><\/p>\n

Brake expressed deep gratitude for the outpouring of support and highlighted the personal impact of every act of kindness, whether big or small.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo every person who prayed, shared our story, sent a message, or simply paused to think of us: Thank you,\u201d he said. \u201cOne day, I hope I can say that to each of you in person. When you\u2019re in the midst of grief, it\u2019s the smallest act \u2014 a kind word, a shared memory, a silent prayer \u2014 that gives you the strength to push on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related:How 10 inches of rain turned into a deadly 30-foot wall of water in Kerr County<\/a><\/p>\n

While the Brake family has found a measure of closure, Robert Brake reminds the public that many families are still hurting and searching for their loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo please, don\u2019t stop the prayers. Keep them coming,\u201d he said. \u201cThe messages of hope and faith are working. They are carrying people through.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of Sunday, at least 130 people have been killed in the floods<\/a>, with 170 still missing. Authorities believe more than160 people may still be missing<\/a> in Kerr County alone, and 10 more in neighboring areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After days of agony waiting for news on their missing mother and father, lost during the July 4…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":64668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,31078,30742,358,31296,3187,61,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,313],"class_list":{"0":"post-64667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fortworth","11":"tag-guadalupe-river","12":"tag-kerrville","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-texas-flooding","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-u-s-news","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-weather"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114851217572672455","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}