Glendale property records go thru LA county recorder:
http://lavote.net/home/records/real-...ecords-request
Not free, but apparently less than $20. Online services available thru third-party inquiries, like LexisNexis or others.
You could see if your guy still owns the property. At 81, he may have transitioned to some other living arrangement, but there will still be a financial custodian keeping up with things. Time's tickin', though.
If he's no longer the owner, the most current info for him will probably be in the associated real-estate closing documents, unless that was accomplished by an estate executor.
Doing your same research to get to the next door neighbor may be worthwhile. Or, contacting someone local who can knock on a few doors.
You're getting close, though.
You could also try contacting an area TV station and see if they're up for a feel-good story. You'd probably have to submit to some kind of interview, and you wouldn't have control of the resulting narrative. Depends on your appetite for publicity.
Chip