Miles City is mourning the loss of David Kepford, a well-known community member who died following a house fire Monday. Friends remember him as a generous, outspoken advocate for local youth who worked to bring more activities t o Miles City.Watch the community of Miles City talk about David Kepford: 'Generous, motivated and loving': Miles City mourns the death of man after house fireBrittney Henderson got to know Kepford over the past four years, stopping by his house every week."The more you are in someone's space, the more you get to know them," Henderson said Wednesday.She says it didn't take long to feel welcome."He's just very easy to talk to and really easy to be around. And, like, he makes you feel like you're family even if you don't know who he is," Henderson said.Now, the home where so many of those conversations happened sits empty after the fire."I just started crying. And I was like, 'He was my friend.' You know, like, 'It's weird to get that close to somebody that you don't really know,'" Henderson said. For Dain Yother, the loss is heavy. He grew up with Kepford."Dave was a great guy. I've known him for 19 years. He got me my first job," Yother said.Yother says Kepford never stopped pushing for the things he believed in."Dave was such a helpful, motivated, outspoken individual for every cause. He believed every person had a voice and that their voice should be heard really, you know, and second chances. And he was a dreamer," Yother said.One of those dreams was bringing a skate park to Riverside Park for the kids of Miles City. Plans were made at his shop, Dirty D's."One of the biggest things that Dave has done, skate park wise, is his shop was a continual conversation about the skate park. The kids would come in, adults would come in, and he was always talking about the skate park," Abigail Snider said.For those involved in the project, Kepford's commitment was clear."Even though Dave and I haven't known each other for that long, knowing how much our skate park project meant to him, knowing that he was always willing to help," Jared Devault said.But beyond any project, friends say it was Kepford himself who made others feel seen."It didn't matter who you were or what you did. He would talk to you about anything. And so he's, like, kind of like an uncle, you know, like, or a therapist," Henderson said.The Miles City Police Department says it and other agencies are continuing to investigate the fire and will release more information when it becomes available.Friends say they are holding on to the memory of a man who made people feel like they belonged."I think it hit everybody pretty hard. I don't think he even knew how much he meant to anybody," Henderson said. ...read more read less