Elderly woman loses home to fire, stranger comes to help

Novi, Mich (WJBK) - 84-year-old Roxie Schoup was literally sleeping in her car after a fire made her home unlivable. But a complete stranger, who Roxie is calling her guardian angel stepped in to help. 

“I don’t know how it caught up but somehow it just caught up,” Schoupe said.

Roxie Schoupe has lived in this Novi home for 60 years, she’s losing it to damages caused by an accidental fire.

This blow on top of the death of her husband in June and two grandchildren died this year too.

Fox 2: Roxie this has been a rough year for you.

“Yes it has, but god will pull us out of it,” she said. 

Roxie, lived in her home with her three adult children with various health problems, her daughter, the most serious Multiple Sclerosis.

After the fire happened this month, they were sleeping in a car. 

“It wasn’t too bad, wasn’t too cold so we slept in there a few nights,” she said. 

Roxie is frail and is nearly blind and deaf but somehow keeps this incredible demeanor. It caught the attention of a complete stranger who heard about the fire on a neighborhood phone app. 

“The next day I came over food and water and I met Roxie, then when I met her I fell in love with her and knew I had to help,” Michele Witter said. 

Michele Witter is on a mission, starting a Go Fund Me Page to get the Schoupe’s a new home and just the basics, Roxie had been sleeping on an old couch.

“Even the kids had been sleeping on a sofa so they haven’t even had a bed so I want to see them all have beds,” Witter said.

Novi Police and Fire made a sizeable donation to the efforts and Novi Woods and Parkview Elementary School kids also raised money through a fundraiser.

Michele says they still need more to move the family into a double wide mobile home. 

“We’re gonna get you hooked up I hope,” she said.

Roxie and Michelle have formed an unlikely friendship out the ashes of tragedy. 

“It’s so inspiring to see her smile after being through what she’s been through,” she said. 

Fox 2: What keeps you smiling and going?

“I don’t know, been like that all my life I guess,” Roxie said.

If you want to help you can make donations to the Go Fund Me Page set up for this family.