HUNT — Virginia Hollis, 8, of Bellville, was one of the many children who were swept away during the mas- sive flooding of the Guadalupe River at Camp Mystic in Kerr County on July 4. Hollis was celebrated with an outpouring of love from communities along the Interstate 10 East corridor from San An- tonio to her hometown and final resting place in Bellville.
Though many did not know Hollis, those with young ones and those with grandkids could only imagine the heartbreak of losing a child, while others knew what the parents of Hollis were going through.
People along the procession corridor lined up to pay respects to Hollis and her parents, Lars and Lacey Elick Hollis.
The interstate procession, led by law enforcement, started in San Antonio, turned onto Highway 71 North and routed onto Farm-to-Market Road 109 through Frelsburg, New Ulm and Indus- try. The procession turned onto FM 159 East to Bellville, then to Faith Academy and ended at Schmidt Funeral Home in Bellville.
Hollis lost her life while at the all- girls Christian camp when floodwaters from upstream Guadalupe took as many as 135 lives along its riverbanks as of press time.
Along the Guadalupe River, campers have for years enjoyed the beauty but also endured the savagery of nature.
VIRGINIA HOLLIS
The hearse carrying Virginia Hollis, 8, of Bellville, passes under the flag of presented by the Columbus Volunteer Fire Department in honor of Hollis, who perished during the major flooding at Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River on July 4. Photo by Deborah Stolar, Banner Press
