‘Forever missed’: 2 children killed in house fire grieved by community

KALAMAZOO, MI — Two children who died in a Kalamazoo house fire were always together and will be forever missed, their obituary says.

Evelyn Blackport, 4, and Elliot Blackport, 7, died Monday, Oct. 9, in a house fire in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood.

They are the children of Duane “DJ” Blackport Jr. and Amy Yearian.

“They were very happy children,” said Charlie Ibbotson, 34, the manager at Ted’s Appliance, where DJ Blackport Jr. has worked for over a decade. The staff there knew the children and the rest of the family well, Ibbotson said, and the kids would spend time in the shop. Ibbotson said he will be a pallbearer at the funeral.

“Elliot was always smiling,” Ibbotson said. “He loved his dad and always wanted to follow him around wherever he went.”

They were both happy and great kids, he said.

Elliot enjoyed watching and listening to autonomous sensory meridian response videos and taking tractor rides with his grandpa, the children’s obituary says.

He liked to play handyman and would take hats and sunglasses from people he loved. He had an unforgettable character, the obituary says.

Evelyn’s favorite thing was spending hours coloring. She loved balloons and bubbles and spread infectious laughter to people around her. She enjoyed helping her parents and siblings, the obituary says.

“Evelyn loved Elliot the most, they had a bond that would never be broken in life or in death, their love was like no other,” the obituary states.

“They were always together and they will be forever missed.”

A GoFundMe has brought in nearly $40,000, as of Thursday, to help the family pay for funeral costs and other living expenses. Ted’s Appliance is one of the donors.

The organizer of the fundraiser urges the community to come together and help the family rebuild their lives.

“The pain and grief is beyond words for them and their entire family,” the fundraiser says. “They have been left without two of their three children, their home and the loss of all that they had.

“The loss of their children is so great and we want to assure them they have the love and support from all of us to help them through this trying time.”

Plans for a benefit dinner are in the works.

On Tuesday, at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new public safety station in the same neighborhood as the fire, Public Safety Chief David Boysen asked for a moment of silence for the children.

A funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at New Apostolic Church, 3600 W. Milham Ave., in Portage. Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The church is also helping collect items for the family. The church said the family is a member of the congregation.

Community support for the family has been a godsend, Ibbotson said.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety firefighters responded about 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, to a single-family home on the 1500 block of East Stockbridge Avenue, and the children were pronounced dead.

The home was boarded up and quiet on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 12. Stuffed animals, flowers and other items were left at the base of a tree out front.

A woman who lives a couple of blocks down walked past Thursday, and said she saw fire downstairs progress to the second level.

“I heard this big old noise like ‘woosh,’ and I saw the fire come right out the window,” Rosemary Gunthter, 68, said. She did not know the family but has seen them around.

She and others watched as the tragedy unfolded.

“I heard a man screaming, ‘My kids, my kids,’” Gunthter said.

Ibbotson went to the home about 6 a.m. the day of the fire, as soon as he heard what happened.

Blackport was hysterical, Ibbotson said, and he did his best to help him.

“Just hold him and tell him I’m there for him and I love him and it’s not his fault,” Ibbotson said. “Tragedies happen. Things catch on fire and he did the best he could do.”

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental and remains under investigation, police said.

Firefighters responded about 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, to a single-family home on the 1500 block of East Stockbridge Avenue. Two children did not make it out and were pronounced dead, police said.

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