Siblings lost to fire outside Marengo mourned in vigil

A vigil was held Sunday night at Belvidere High School to mourn the loss of five siblings who perished in a house fire last Monday in Garden Prairie.

Through tears, friends and family recalled those who died – two adults and three children – as loving and caring people whose loss will be felt by the community. But along with the positive words, those who spoke conveyed a sense of overwhelming tragedy.

“I have never seen anybody have to endure this kind of stuff,” said Michael Ollnau, a pastor at New Beginnings Fellowship in Belvidere, who is a family friend. “It’s an unthinkable thing. You can only say there are no words.”

The grandmother of the deceased, Leona Tatman, described the family’s sense of loss in an online statement last Tuesday.

“Aside from the irreplaceable loss of their children and siblings, the surviving family members have lost everything,” Tatman said. “The home they lived in and loved, the memories, pictures and every single possession they owned, including their automobiles.”

During the vigil, first responders received a round of applause for their work at the scene of the fire last week.

The house was “fully engulfed” and firefighters had to deal with “minor explosions” while also putting out a small shed and three cars that were on fire, attending to six patients and protecting other structures on the property, Boone County Fire Protection District 2 Chief Brian Kunce had said.

The names of the deceased were released by the Boone County Coroner’s Office on Friday.

They were Emanuel McConnaughay, 24; Elizabeth McConnaughay, 20; Danika Tatman, 14; Zophia Tatman, 13; and Aniela Tatman, 9. The cause of death appears to be smoke inhalation, according to the preliminary autopsy results, but the deaths remain under further investigation.

Tatman gave a brief description of each of the children, saying that Danika wanted to be a gymnast. Zophia loved to help bake, especially cookies; and Aniela loved performing, dressing up and putting on shows for family and friends.

Tatman described Emanuel as “a great brother” and Elizabeth as “a new mother” set to start a local nursing program. Her daughter was rescued from the burning home and survived.

A GoFundMe organized by Tatman and the family has raised more than $64,000 so far.

Tom & Jerry’s in Belvidere also was accepting donations to help the family. One of the five people who died in the fire, Elizabeth, was an employee at the restaurant, owner Bob Grottke said.

Elizabeth Tatman was like a family member, Grottke said. As of Monday afternoon, the restaurant had raised just more than $2,200 through a separate GoFundMe, enough to cover funeral costs, as well as some essentials like clothing.

During the vigil, coworkers from Tom & Jerry’s described Elizabeth Tatman as “a beautiful person” and “the glue that held us together.”

Another local establishment, Lucky Mustangs Video Gaming & Lounge, was also accepting donations, according to the Rockford Register Star.

Initially, six residents, including both parents, were hospitalized with two were in critical condition. Of the two family members initially in critical condition, one was now out of the hospital, while the mother, Jennifer Tatman, now is able to eat and talking, Grottke said during the vigil.

The family also is a missing dog, Grottke said.