What would you do for your neighbor? The answer might say a lot about what it’s like to live in your neighborhood. By that logic, living in Danielle Calder’s neighborhood in Hudson, Florida is a pretty sweet experience.
Until recently, Danielle, 67, and her husband split their time between Massachusetts and Florida, but they now live full-time in a Hudson home Danielle inherited from her father. In addition to the house, Danielle inherited a neighborhood—one where Angie Tyma, 90, is at the very heart. Two years ago, when Angie Tyma found herself evicted, her belongings strewn about the yard, she was rescued when Danielle bought the home and rented it back to her.
Talk about neighborly. Here’s how the whole debacle began, and how Danielle’s act of kindness has turned into a genuinely heartwarming neighborhood story.
A Surprising Eviction
“I have lived here for 37 years,” Angie says of the breezy, 1960s-era home she shares with her two beloved dogs, a Chihuahua named Ralph and a dachshund who answers to Pepper. In 2016, Angie was forcibly removed from her home—the person to whom she sold the house years before, and who lives in Europe, had stopped making mortgage payments, and the property went into foreclosure. Angie ended up living at a nearby hotel.
Though she had received warnings about the nonpayment, Angie never dreamed the bank would evict her. And when her neighbors on friendly Harbor Drive in Hudson, Florida, saw what was happening to the elderly widow—Angie’s husband passed away 22 years ago—they rallied to help. No one assisted more than Danielle, who lives just a few doors down from Angie. She purchased the foreclosed house at auction for $167,500 in 2016 and has rented it to Angie ever since.
A New Neighborly Relationship
Angie is grateful to her friend and neighbor Danielle, “I love it here in Hudson, where my neighbors keep an eye out for me. I have been here for so many years and never wanted to move. Thanks to Danielle, I was able to stay, and I will always be thankful for what she did for me.” Danielle feels happy about her investment.
“Angie’s a trip!” says Danielle, with a laugh. “She’s a friend of mine, and she’s been in the neighborhood for a long time. I was in a position to help when her house was foreclosed upon, and I jumped at it. I firmly believe that people should help others out whenever they can, you truly do have to help your neighbor.”
While going from neighbors and friends to having a landlord-tenant relationship is a change that comes with its own set of challenges—as well as national media attention— Danielle says the adjustment has been worth it, for both herself and for all the neighbors.
“Angie still walks her dogs around the neighborhood every single day, she knows everyone,” says Danielle. “She is a character, and it’s hard to imagine living here without her.”
As far as Angie is concerned, she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I am about to turn 91, and I truly believe you’re only as old as you feel, my doctor says: ‘Whatever you’re doing keep doing it!’”
