Blair and Brooke Harber, two young sisters from Dallas, were found holding hands and their rosaries after floodwaters swept away their cabin along the Guadalupe River over the July 4 weekend.
According to their school, the girls had gone to the loft of their cabin with their rosaries the night the flooding occurred, NBC 5 reported. Their bodies were recovered the next day, 15 miles downstream.
Jennifer Harber, the girls’ aunt, shared in the family’s GoFundMe post that Blair and Brooke were found “with their hands locked together.”
“When Blair and Brooke were found the next day, fifteen miles downriver, they were together,” St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, which both girls attended, shared in a statement. “Even in their last moments, they held tightly to each other, a powerful symbol of their lasting bond and their trust in God.”
Blair was preparing to enter eighth grade, and Brooke was a rising sixth grader.
Their parents, Annie and RJ Harber, were staying in a separate cabin and survived. Annie Harber, a longtime teacher at St. Rita, and her husband are still awaiting news of the girls’ grandparents, who remain unaccounted for as of July 7.
According to Jennifer Harber, RJ’s sister, the storm woke RJ at around 3:30 a.m. He and Annie immediately went to check on their daughters and the girls’ grandparents, who were staying in another house. However, the water had already started rising inside their house, and they had to break a window to escape.
Once outside, they found the water too high to reach the nearby house where Blair, Brooke, and their grandparents were. Jennifer said RJ and Annie woke up neighbors — likely saving their lives — in an effort to borrow a kayak. But the river’s current was too strong to cross, and RJ and Annie eventually had to be rescued themselves.
According to St. Rita’s statement, Blair was active in cheerleading, sports, drama, and student leadership. She was a Student Ambassador and yearbook team member, and she had been looking forward to auditioning for the lead role in the eighth-grade play.
“Blair had the kindest heart and loved to serve others,” the school’s statement said.
Brooke, equally energetic and outgoing, played multiple sports and was especially known for her improv skills and joyful presence.
“Brooke never met a stranger and loved everyone she met,” the school said.
As the search for the girls’ grandparents continues, the family has asked for continued prayers.
“We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken,” Jennifer Harbor said. “Prayers are much appreciated and what we needed at this time. Please help us find my parents so we can have closure and bring them home.”
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Author: Rachel Quackenbush
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