UTSA Professor Who Died in Texas Flooding Remembered as an ‘Incredible’ Mother and Grandmother ‘Who Spent Her Life Helping Kids’

Katheryn Eads, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, tragically lost her life in the recent catastrophic flooding in Central Texas. She was 52.

Eads joined the UTSA faculty in 2022 and was known for her passion for teaching and dedication to student success. In a heartfelt statement, her oldest daughter, Victoria Eads, shared memories of her mother’s legacy with PEOPLE.

“Dr. Katheryn Eads lived a fulfilling life, cut far too short,” Victoria wrote. “She was an incredible wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and person who spent her life helping kids—from those in the foster care system early in her career to those in classrooms, both as a psychologist in early education and as a professor in college.”

Victoria also expressed deep sympathy for the families of children who died in the flooding and shared a moving sentiment:

“Trying to figure out our lives without her is a possibility we never planned to face, and we will always miss her. I know it won’t ease the burden of grief any, but I want the parents of those kids who also passed to know that there’s a momma up there helping them and giving them hugs until their parents get back to them.”

UTSA Provost Heather Shipley praised Eads in a statement posted on the university’s website:

“Dr. Eads was an extraordinary educator whose devotion to her students and to the craft of teaching embodied the very best of our academic community. Through her insight, expertise, and unwavering commitment to student success, she inspired generations of learners and colleagues alike. Her absence leaves a profound void at UTSA, but her impact will continue to resonate through the lives she touched.”

The flooding, caused by the Guadalupe River overflowing near Hunt, Texas, has left a path of devastation across the region. On July 3, Camp Mystic—a nearby girls’ summer camp—was evacuated in the middle of the night after rising waters flooded cabins. As of Monday evening, July 7, one counselor and 10 of the camp’s 750 campers remain missing, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.

Officials from the camp told the San Antonio Express-News that some children were unaccounted for after the cabins were swept away by the floodwaters. The highway in the area has also been destroyed, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

Kerr County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Clint Morris told KSAT that it remains “an extremely active scene, countywide.”

The death toll from the floods has risen to 104, including 28 children.