Topeka man pays tribute to fiancee Dianna Bloom. A loved one is accused in her death.
Dianna Bloom was a devout Christian.
Her fiance, Russell Burton, is a practicing Buddhist.
They shared a deep commitment to making the world a better place, which was one reason they fell in love, the 62-year-old Burton told The Capital-Journal on Monday.
"She was the kindest person I've ever met," he said.
'She was always on top of making sure that everything got done'
Burton recalled how he and Bloom, 68, teamed up to help homeless and mentally ill people until she died Saturday from what authorities say was a homicide committed by a loved one with severe mental health challenges.
Bloom was a loving, caring, giving woman who "loved to talk to people," Burton said.
Each had been widowed before their romance began about five years ago, he recalled.
Burton and Bloom shared a commitment to helping the homeless.
Bloom was a volunteer case worker for Second Chance Services and Street Coalition, a service Burton operates that provides mental health counseling and other resources for clients who include children, complex families and the homeless.
"We kind of started that together," Burton said.
Bloom shouldered "at least a half-time job" in helping that service's clients — some of whom are difficult to deal with — do such things as getting groceries or furniture, or applying for Medicaid or disability assistance, Burton said.
"She was always on top of making sure that everything got done for the homeless and that they were taken care of," he said.
A love for music along the 'Blues Highway'
Burton and Bloom also shared a love for playing blues music and watching blues bands perform.
She played piano. He plays guitar.
Russell Burton smiled as he recalled how they took a trip last August along US-61, the "Blues Highway," going south from St. Louis through Memphis, Tenn., and the Mississippi Delta to New Orleans while listening to blues bands at clubs almost every night.
More:Grieving family members seek public release of video after deadly Topeka police shooting
'She saved our family'
Burton asked Bloom to marry him last December at a family dinner in the Topeka home of his daughter, Brieanna Burton-Kimple, who is 27.
Bloom said, "Yes."
Though Bloom died before she and Burton could marry, Burton-Kimple said she considered Bloom to be her stepmother.
Bloom had never had children and hadn't intended to become a stepmother, Burton-Kimple said.
Still, Bloom "fell into the role really well," she said.
"She saved our family," Burton-Kimple said.
Related:Elisha Burton arrested after homicide northwest of Potwin kills Diana Bloom, 68
'Nobody wanted them'
Burton said he and his first wife, prior to her death, had specialized in serving as foster parents for — then adopting — youths who'd been through multiple unsuccessful placements in the foster care system.
"Nobody wanted them," Burton said.
Their adopted children included Elisha Burton, who is 25 and became part of their household with his sister when he was 12, Russell Burton said.
Eli Burton has experienced severe behavioral health challenges since he was about 16, he said.
Still, Bloom and Eli Burton were "buddies" and got along well, Russell Burton said.
So Russell Burton said he was shocked when Bloom was killed Saturday and Topeka police arrested Eli Burton.
Topeka police said they were called about 11:40 a.m. Saturday to the 200 block of N.W. Knox Avenue — just south of Interstate 70 and about one half-mile east of S.W. MacVicar Avenue. Bloom was taken to a Topeka hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. Her specific cause of death hasn't been made public.
Eli Burton was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of Saturday's tragedy, said Burton-Kimple.
More:Three Topeka girls killed in weekend car crash were headed to Girl Scout event
'Because he's my son, we intend to defend him as such'
Eli Burton "was a great young man — and still is," Russell Burton said Monday.
Eli Burton was being held on a $1 million bond that day in the Shawnee County Jail in connection with first-degree murder. Formal charges hadn't been filed.
"I want it to be known that we are here for Eli," Burton-Kimple told The Capital-Journal. "We will be involved in everything going forward with this. He's my brother."
Eli Burton had actively sought mental health assistance and was taking all his medications at the time of the tragedy, Russell Burton said.
What happened Saturday was "completely out of character" for Eli Burton, he said.
The family will continue to love and support Eli Burton, Russell Burton said.
"He's still my son," he said. "Because he's my son, we intend to defend him as such."
Contact Tim Hrenchir at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Elisha Burton held in death of his father's fiancee, Dianna Bloom, 68
