Residents of Florida are saddened by the announcement that Danie Opperman, who was reported missing on July 17, was found deceased.

Opperman (74) went missing from his home in Poole Street after telling his landlord’s grandson that he was going out.

According to landlord Marthie Naudè, she was out attending a funeral on the day.

“I thought it strange that he did not specify where he was going,” she says.

“When he did not return home by nightfall, I became worried and opened a missing persons case at the Florida Police Station.”

• Read the initial article here: Missing Florida pensioner last seen on Friday

Naudè adds that Opperman was a wonderful person and was widely loved throughout the community.

“He would always go out of his way to help people.

“He was well-known, always friendly, and he loved making his rounds on foot throughout Florida, visiting friends at the various businesses along the way.”

Close friend Leatitia van Niekerk says Opperman was a beloved figure throughout Roodepoort and Florida.

“Everyone knew him, or at least of him,” she says.

“He had friends everywhere, and he will be sorely missed.”

Opperman’s badly decomposed body was found in an open veld along Dan Pienaar Avenue in Florida North on Tuesday, July 28.

Further details about his death are not available, and arrangements for his funeral are currently underway.