The Te Puke man killed in a car crash Monday was described as "my handy guy" by a friend.
Father of two Ian Barton Foote died at the scene when the car he was driving and another vehicle collided on State Highway 33 at Paengaroa.
Elspeth Koce was Mr Foote's neighbour at her Maketu home for almost eight years before recently moving to Te Puke.
She said the 47-year-old was like a son to her.
"I was just talking to him the other day. I rang up to see how everything was going out there - thankfully I did."
Mrs Koce had many over-the-fence chats with Mr Foote.
"He was very helpful when I lost my husband. He was my handy guy."
She said although Mr Foote was a private man, she got along with him on things they had in common as neighbours, saying he was "a kind sort".
"We used to chat over the fence about our gardens and his kids. If I couldn't reach something or do something he would pop over the fence and help me."
Mrs Koce found out her former neighbour had died when she saw the front page of yesterday's Bay of Plenty Times.
"I looked at the photo, I nearly had a fit," she said.
As much as Mr Foote was like a son, she too was like a mother in return, she said.
"He was only just a couple of years older than my son, so I suppose I was like a mother to him also."