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Paying it Forward: Wyoming Man Digs his Neighborhood out of Snow

Posted at 8:09 PM, Jan 08, 2014
and last updated 2014-01-08 20:09:21-05

WYOMING, Mich. – A Wyoming neighborhood is saying thank you to their neighbor, Jim English, who has been snow plowing their sidewalks and driveways for years.

“The universe saw fit to get me a snow blower and I do my best to take care of my neighbors with it,” says English.

“If he wouldn’t do the end of my driveway especially, I’d be stuck, just stuck. He’s done this for years and years,” says Judy Humphrey, English’s neighbor.

“I see him out here for a couple hours at a time usually; he’s really nice and helps the elderly on the street,” says Megan Steele, another neighbor of English.

So it’s the neighborhood consensus: without English, residents on Opal Street would not be able to keep their heads above snow. Neighbors say no one asked him to clear the snow, he just does it, and they are thankful.

“He does it out of the goodness of his heart, he doesn’t want anything for it,” adds Steele.

English says it’s a “pass-along” thing: he wants to give back after a neighbor regularly cleared the snow for his mother’s home in Marshall while he was in Wyoming.

“I have a few neighbors that can use the help and I do my best to make sure they can get in and out when they need to, that’s what’s important,” explains English.

He’s very thorough. Neighbor’s say English is outside right after the City snow plow comes through, so they do not have to lift any heavy snow.

“I don’t even like to think of it as a snow blower, that baby launches snow,” exclaims English.

Neighbors re-fill his snow blower’s gas can when they can, and again, say thank you.

“I’m just so lucky to have Jim as a neighbor, I really am,” adds Humphrey.