07/03/2026
There are losses that do not take one life from a community, but an entire world.
That is how Kerrville remembers the Zunker family.
Nearly one year after the July 4, 2025 floods swept through Hunt, Texas, the names Reece, Paula Joe, Lyle, and Holland Zunker still carry a weight that words can barely hold. They were a family rooted in faith, service, laughter, adventure, education, and love. To speak of them now is to remember not only what was taken, but the life they built together and the legacy still moving through the people they touched.
Reece Tyler Zunker was 36, a beloved teacher, coach, mentor, and friend whose impact stretched far beyond the soccer field. Born in New Braunfels, he grew up loving sports and later turned that passion into a calling. For most of his career in education, he poured himself into Kerrville Tivy High School, where he taught, coached, challenged, encouraged, and believed in his students.
To his players, Coach Zunker was more than a coach. He was energy. He was discipline. He was competition. He was the voice telling them to play hard, represent their school well, and become good people first. He helped rebuild and strengthen the Tivy soccer program, established opportunities for younger players through middle school soccer, and left behind a standard his team still tries to live up to. He was named Kerrville ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2024, a reflection of the respect he earned in classrooms, hallways, and on the field.
Paula Joe Gerbig Zunker was 35, and her life was just as full of purpose. A former Camp Mystic camper, counselor, and camp shopper, she carried the spirit of service into everything she did. She taught at Hill Country Youth Ranch and Tivy High School, served as an English teacher and cheer sponsor, gave time to the Kerrville Jr. Service Guild, and was involved with the Centre Point Theatre. She was bright, active, creative, faithful, and deeply invested in the people around her.
Reece and Paula Joe met through mutual friends in 2011 and married in 2014. Together, they built a life centered on faith, family, hard work, laughter, and community. They were active members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville. They loved renovating homes, creating spaces, dreaming together, and building a home where their children felt safe, cherished, and known.
And then there were Lyle and Holland.
Lyle Earl Zunker was 7, a sweet boy with an infectious smile and kind words for others. He loved to read, play soccer with his dad, watch soccer with his dad, fish, kayak, surf, swim, play basketball, make art, build with Legos, and help his parents with home projects. He was a student at The Hunt School and had been accepted into the Gifted and Talented program for what would have been second grade.
Holland Morgan Zunker was only 3, but already full of personality. She was spunky, stylish, adventurous, affectionate, and known for giving the very best hugs. She loved dance class, swimming, fishing, kayaking, and playing on the beach. She was “large and in charge” once she warmed up, a little girl with a big presence and a joyful spirit that kept her family smiling.
Together, the Zunkers were not just four names in a tragedy. They were a home. A rhythm. A set of voices. A family dinner. A soccer practice. A church pew. A classroom. A bedtime story. A renovation project. A camp memory. A little boy’s laugh. A little girl’s hug. A marriage full of partnership. A family woven deeply into Kerrville.
When the floodwaters came in the early morning hours of July 4, their lives were taken in a way that still feels impossible to comprehend. But almost one year later, Kerrville has not allowed their memory to fade.
At Tivy, Coach Zunker’s presence is still felt. Photos remain in the field house. His words still echo through players who remember how he taught them to compete, work, and carry themselves. The team has honored him with patches, memorial events, and the spirit of “Tivy Fight Never Dies.” His favorite club’s phrase, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” has taken on a deeper meaning in a community still grieving but still standing together.
That is what legacy looks like.
Reece’s legacy lives in every player who hustles harder because Coach expected it. Paula Joe’s legacy lives in every student, friend, and neighbor shaped by her service and warmth. Lyle’s legacy lives in every child brave enough to try something new. Holland’s legacy lives in every hug, every burst of personality, every little adventure taken with joy.
The Zunker family’s story is heartbreaking, but it is also beautiful because their lives were beautiful. They loved well. They served faithfully. They gave generously. They made their community better. They built a family that radiated kindness, laughter, and belonging.
Nearly one year later, Reece, Paula Joe, Lyle, and Holland Zunker are still loved. Still missed. Still honored.
