Alyson Crouch Hardin and Josephine Hardin: April 4, 2025

Editor’s Note: In the absence of formal obituaries for Alyson and Josephine Hardin, The Kerr County Lead has compiled this obituary based on extensive research from multiple news sources, family statements, and community tributes to honor their memory and preserve their legacy.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the tragic loss of Alyson Crouch Hardin, 64, and her beloved daughter Josephine Hardin, 28, who died together in the devastating floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country in the early morning hours of July 4, 2025. Both women were swept away when their family’s vacation home in Hunt, Texas, collapsed in the rushing waters of the Guadalupe River.

A Legacy Rooted in Camp Mystic

The Hardin family’s story is deeply intertwined with Camp Mystic, the historic all-girls Christian summer camp that has been a cherished institution in the Texas Hill Country for nearly a century. Alyson grew up in Houston and fell in love with Camp Mystic as a child, eventually becoming a counselor herself. Her daughter Josephine carried on this beautiful tradition, attending the camp for nine summers as a camper and serving as a counselor for four additional summers.

Both mother and daughter embodied the camp’s core philosophy: “A bell is not a bell until you ring it. The song is not a song until you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love is not love until you give it away.” They lived these words throughout their lives, dedicating themselves to service, faith, and community.

Alyson Crouch Hardin: A Life of Service and Leadership

Alyson was a remarkable woman who touched countless lives through her professional work, church leadership, and generous spirit. As a financial planner with Equitable Advisors in Fort Lauderdale, she was known for going above and beyond for her clients – including once opening her home to a client who had lost her house in a Miami hurricane.

Her spiritual leadership was equally impressive. Alyson served as senior warden at All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, where she was described as a “pillar” of the church community. She was also a devoted trustee of Sewanee: The University of the South, the prestigious Episcopal college in Tennessee where both she and her daughter graduated at the top of their respective classes.

Those who knew Alyson remembered her as intelligent, witty, generous, and adventurous. Her sister Kimberly Crouch recalled Alyson’s direct, caring approach to life: “She said, ‘Kimberly, if you don’t like something in your life, change it!’ She didn’t suffer fools gladly.” This straightforward wisdom and her willingness to speak her mind made her a natural leader in every community she joined.

Alyson graduated top of her class from the University of the South (Sewanee) in 1982, demonstrating the academic excellence that would characterize her family for generations.

Josephine Hardin: A Rising Star in Law and Life

Josephine was a 2015 graduate of The Webb School, a prestigious college preparatory school in Tennessee, where she was remembered as a natural leader who formed “many deep and meaningful friendships.” She carried this leadership and relationship-building ability throughout her life.

Following her mother’s footsteps, Josephine graduated top of her class from the University of the South (Sewanee) in 2019, before pursuing her law degree at Emory University School of Law, graduating in 2023. She had recently begun her career as an associate attorney with the respected Atlanta firm Huff Powell Bailey, specializing in medical malpractice and long-term care defense.

Her colleagues remembered Josephine as “smart and beautifully quirky” – someone who “made us laugh out loud, come together, and think deeply about the needs of others.” She was described as a natural leader who believed deeply in giving back to her community.

Josephine’s commitment to service was evident in her volunteer work. She served as a regular volunteer at the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, eventually becoming her firm’s liaison in 2024. She also volunteered with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Georgia Society of Healthcare Risk Managers, demonstrating her belief that “to whom much is given, there is an expectation to give back.”

A Life of Friendship and Adventure

Those closest to Josephine described her as someone who said “Yes” to life – whether for an invitation to a bridal party, a spontaneous drive, or a trip to Japan. Her cousin Taylor Hardin beautifully captured her spirit: “Josephine was always willing to go above and beyond and be physically present in her friends’ lives. She was not afraid to demonstrably show you how much she loved you.”

This generous spirit and willingness to show up for others made Josephine beloved by friends, colleagues, and family members alike. She was admitted to the Georgia Bar in October 2023 and maintained good standing throughout her brief but promising legal career.

The Tragedy: A Family Tradition Cut Short

The Hardin family had been returning to their Texas Hill Country vacation home for decades. Alyson’s parents built the house in the 1970s, and though the family had scattered from Texas over the years, they regularly returned to Hunt for holidays and summer gatherings. The home, built 10 feet above the 100-year floodplain, had experienced flooding twice before, but nothing like the catastrophic event of July 4, 2025.

On that fateful weekend, Alyson had traveled from Florida, Josephine from Georgia, and Bill from his position as Dean of FIU’s College of Business to spend the Fourth of July together at their beloved family retreat.

When the Guadalupe River rose 22 feet in just three pre-dawn hours, the family woke to the sound of furniture crashing around in the rising water. By the time they were putting on their shoes, the water had reached waist level on the second floor. Josephine was the first to attempt escape, trying to climb out a window, but then the house collapsed around them.

Bill Hardin survived by clinging to a tree for seven hours until he was rescued by helicopter. Alyson and Josephine, along with their beloved dachshund Loomis (whom they had placed in a bucket hoping he would float to safety), were swept away by the powerful current.

A Community in Mourning

The loss of Alyson and Josephine has been felt across multiple communities. The Right Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, wrote to parishioners: “This is an unfathomable loss for the Hardin family, for All Saints, and for our diocese.”

The Webb School remembered Josephine with deep affection: “Our hearts are with the Hardin family as the search for Josephine ’15 continues. Please keep them in your thoughts.”

Her law firm, Huff Powell Bailey, honored her memory: “In the coming days and weeks, the firm will observe a period of mourning to honor Josephine’s memory and her impactful contributions to this firm, our clients and the Atlanta legal community.”

Florida International University, where Bill Hardin serves as Dean of the College of Business, also acknowledged the family’s tragedy. University President Jeanette M. Nuñez wrote to students and faculty: “Please keep him, his family, and everyone touched by this disaster in your thoughts and prayers.”

Legacy and Recovery

After weeks of searching by specialized federal teams, both Alyson and Josephine’s bodies were eventually recovered, bringing some measure of closure to their grieving family. The family expressed deep gratitude to all the search and rescue professionals who worked tirelessly to bring them home.

“We would like to thank all of the rescuers, first responders, and searchers who have worked diligently to save many and recover the remains of others,” said Elizabeth Hardin, Bill’s sister. “We appreciate the many kindnesses shown to our families.”

Survivors

Alyson and Josephine are survived by Bill Hardin, devoted husband and father, who continues to serve as Dean of FIU’s College of Business. They are also survived by Alyson’s sister Kimberly Crouch, Bill’s sister Elizabeth Hardin, and numerous other family members and friends whose lives were enriched by their love, generosity, and service.

In Their Memory

The lives of Alyson and Josephine Hardin represent the very best of what it means to live with purpose, faith, and love for others. From their shared devotion to Camp Mystic to their individual achievements in business, law, and community service, they embodied the values they learned in the Texas Hill Country: that love is not love until you give it away.

Their legacy lives on in the communities they served, the students they mentored, the clients they helped, and the countless friends whose lives they touched with their generous spirits. Though their time was cut tragically short, the impact of their love, leadership, and service will continue to ripple through the world for generations to come.

As Kimberly Crouch reflected on their final moments: “The water just came so fast, there wasn’t anything anyone could do.” Yet in facing that rushing water together, Alyson and Josephine remained true to the values that defined their lives – staying connected to each other and to the love that had always guided their steps.

Alyson Crouch Hardin and Josephine Hardin will be remembered not for how they died, but for how they lived: with intelligence, wit, generosity, adventure, and an unwavering commitment to giving their love away.