"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…" – Jeremiah 1:5

Beautiful baby boy Ezra Michael Perkins, of Elkhart, Indiana, was peacefully born into the arms of Jesus at 6:04 p.m. on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Goshen General Hospital. Though his time on Earth was heartbreakingly brief, the love he inspired will endure for lifetimes.

Ezra was the deeply cherished son of Keenan A. Perkins and Alexis J. "Lexi" Gonser, who, along with his adoring family, had eagerly awaited the joy and wonder of his arrival. In their hearts and home, a sacred space had already been made for Ezra—a place filled with hope, dreams, lullabies, and endless love.

He is survived by maternal grandparents Laurie and Michael Gonser and paternal grandmother Le Ann Miller-Perkins, all of Elkhart. Great-grandparents Dave and Pam Wickham and Becky and Trevor Smith, all of Osceola, Indiana; Pat and John Gonser, Karen and Jim Carrico, both of Elkhart; and Norma Shanholt of Goshen also mourn this profound loss. Ezra was preceded in passing by his great-grandfather Jim Shanholt, who we trust was among the first to welcome him into eternity.

Ezra's absence leaves a silent ache in the hearts of many—his aunts, uncles, cousins, and a bountiful circle of family friends and well-wishers who lovingly surrounded his parents through the storm of this sorrow.

Though he never drew a breath of this world, Ezra's life had weight and meaning. His spirit, though unseen, changed the world of those who awaited him. He will be remembered as a little boy who taught us how deep love can reach, and how even the smallest life can hold immeasurable beauty.

In keeping with his parents' wishes, Ezra has been cremated and will rest at home, forever close to the arms that longed to cradle him.

In the stillness of this grief, we are not without hope. We find comfort in sacred words, ancient and tender, that speak to all who have walked this path of heartbreaking loss:

"O Christ who gathered children in your arms, You know our ache. You know this void no human words can fill."

Ezra is part of a sacred communion—a fellowship of little ones lost too soon, but not forgotten. His parents' love carved out a space in their lives that, though never filled in the way they dreamed, remains sacred and eternal.

"This child we lost will be for us in this life like a song unsung, and a story untold."

And yet, there is hope—not in the erasure of pain, but in the promise of redemption. A promise that every tear will be gathered, every heart mended, and every empty cradle filled in the kingdom to come. For Christ himself has said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

"Let us learn to steward well this holy sorrow, assured that it is in some way the buried seed of a flower that will blossom into eternity."

In Ezra's name and memory, we choose love. We choose remembrance. And we choose to believe that in God's boundless grace, one day, joy will flow backward in time and fill even this broken place.

"Now, O Lord, we remember your past faithfulness. We receive your present comforts. We await your future redemptions. Let us, in this and in all sorrows, be met by your loving kindness and consoled by your hope."

Arrangements for Ezra have been entrusted to Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart. While no immediate public services are planned, the family deeply appreciates the compassion and prayers extended during this time.