Lee Schmitz lives on Nobil Avenue next door to the scene of a fatal crash early Friday morning.
"Yes, it was a very, very sad day here," says Schmitz.
He has since replaced his mailbox which was destroyed when a car driven by a 17-year-old girl went off the road, into the grass, across the driveway, and struck a woman who was waiting outside for her 14-year-old daughter to get on the school bus down the street.
"I was sleeping and I heard this loud noise and it was when the car hit the tree over here," says Schmitz.
The woman killed is 42-year-old Shelly Deaton, a woman Schmitz says was always smiling.
"The people who live next door, it's their daughter. And her daughter lives with them," says Schmitz.
"It's a great loss and we're going to miss her," says Adam Davis, the pastor at Elevate Church, the church Deaton attended.
Davis says Deaton had an effervescent personality.
"She was doing so well, she stayed so positive through tough times. It was really incredible to see her just walk through life and encounter difficulties that we all face, but keep a positive attitude," says Davis.
Friends and neighbors hope something good can come from this tragedy.
Michigan State Police say the teenager driving the car lost control as she reached down to the floor to retrieve a water bottle.
They want this to wake up other drivers, young and old, to keep their eyes on the road.
"The police say it wasn't a speeding factor, it was a distraction. Something that could happen I guess, but people have to be more careful," says Schmitz.
"For me, I've been tempted since to look at my phone when I'm on the phone, and I'm like no, Shelly, listen, I'm not going to do that," says Davis.
Charges still have not been filed against the 17-year-old girl driving the car.
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