A moving funeral procession has been held for one of the children who perished in the Camp Mystic flood disaster.
Friends and family, and many, many members of the public gathered to say goodbye to 8-year-old Virginia Hollis, one of 27 campers and counselors who lost their lives when flash flood waters inundated their cabins.
The tribute included a riderless horse and a procession with her family and emergency vehicles.
Highlights
- The funeral procession for an 8-year-old Camp Mystic flood victim included her horse, led riderless, adorned with her boots facing backwards.
- People traveled from across the state of Texas to pay tribute to Virginia Hollis, with many saying the riderless horse was a moving image to behold.
- Backwards-facing boots on riderless horses during funeral processions signify the former rider looking backwards for their final ride.
A riderless horse was part of the funeral procession for 8-year-old Virginia Hollis
Image credits: KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Image credits: Dee Anne Williams Lerma
Hundreds of people lined the streets of Bellville to watch the procession, which began more than 150 miles away in San Antonio.
Green bows and banners were hung from lamp posts and signs, representing the color associated with Camp Mystic.
Image credits: Austin County Sheriff
Media reports say when the long line of cars with Hollis’ hearse arrived in Bellville, her horse and family members joined the procession on foot.
The sight of a riderless horse, also known as a cap horse or a caparisoned horse, was a moving tribute to the little girl.
Family says Virginia Hollis loved to ride her horse Salt Valley, and loved the rodeo
Image credits: KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Information from the U.S. Department of Defense states that typically, “a caparisoned horse follows the casket of an Army or Marine Corps officer who was a colonel or higher, or the casket of a president, by virtue of having been the nation's military commander in chief.”
In Hollis’ case, the family says the little girl was an avid cowgirl who loved the rodeo and her horse, Salt Valley.
Image credits: Lynette Byler Parrott
Typically, a riderless horse at a funeral procession wears a saddle and the former rider's boots placed backwards in the stirrups. It’s meant to symbolize the rider sitting backwards on the horse as they take their final ride.
The custom is believed to date back to the time of Genghis Khan, when a horse was sacrificed to serve the fallen warrior in the next world.
Image credits: Andy Melder
In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. president to be honored with a caparisoned horse at his funeral.
Hollis’ horse was led by her grandfather, with members of her direct family walking behind.
Her child-sized hat and pink cowboy boots were placed backward on the horse.
“I’m getting chills watching this”: Local reporter tears up while watching the Hollis funeral procession
Image credits: KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Media say hundreds of people were on hand for the procession, even people who lived outside Bellville, which has a population of about 4,200.
Image credits: KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Some supporters who drove about one hour from Houston to attend the service said they “can’t even imagine what (the parents) are going through at this time.”
People viewing the procession online or live on TV said it was hard to watch.
“My son rides. This tribute hit me really hard,” one person said.
“Those little boots!” said another with broken heart emojis.
Image credits: Andy Melder
Some comments even pointed out that KPRC TV reporter Corley Peel, who was dressed in green to cover the event, appeared to tear up during her emotional live shot of the procession.
“Honestly, I’m getting chills watching this,” Peel said during her live shot, her voice cracking. “There are no dry eyes from people watching them (Hollis’ parents) pay their respects to this young girl who tragically lost her life. It’s just really beautiful watching this entire town come together.”
Bubble Inn and Twins were two Camp Mystic cabins at the center of the destruction
Image credits: Austin County Sheriff
Dozens of people lost their lives after heavy rain caused the Guadalupe River in central Texas to rise dramatically and quickly overnight on July 4th.
According to a recent news conference given by Texas state authorities, the number of fatalities now stands at 135 people, including 116 people in Kerr County.
Of those 116, 27 were from the Christian overnight camp, Camp Mystic, and were primarily grade school-aged children.
Image credits: Austin County Sheriff
A story in the New York Times reports that the campers were staying in two cabins called Bubble Inn and Twins, respectively. Both buildings were situated between the Guadalupe River and another body of water, Cypress Creek.
“The two stone cabins were enveloped by floodwaters that pushed in from opposite directions in the pre-dawn darkness, probably spawning eddies, trapping campers and confusing anyone who tried to save them from the swirling pools,” the article says, referring to the phenomenon known as an ‘eddy.’
Image credits: KPRC 2 Click2Houston
Eddies form when a body of water encounters an obstacle like a rock, a bridge, or even a building during a flood. The water is diverted around the obstruction, and some of it flows back upstream, creating a swirling vortex. They can be very dangerous.
The tragedy has gripped the nation. In the weeks after, stories have been coming out about the little girls and counselors who lost their lives.
One person, Dick Eastland, who ran the camp for 50 years, was remembered as a ‘father figure.’ He lost his life trying to save the campers at the Bubble Inn.
Netizens are heartbroken over the loss of so many young children in the flood tragedy
