2nd Grader’s Late Grandpa Waved to His Bus Every Single Morning — Now School Bus Driver Is Helping Keep His Memory Alive

A school bus driver in Rhode Island is making a profound impact on one young boy’s life after an unexpected family tragedy.

Anne Marie Torregrossa of Cranston, a suburb of Providence, has been driving buses for 46 years, according to WJAR. Among her many routes, one includes a second grader named Jack Monterecy, whom she first met three years ago on his first day at Oak Lawn Elementary School, per the outlet.

Torregrossa noticed Jack for a special reason: His grandfather, Peter Magnan, would stand outside their home every morning to wave to his grandson as the school bus passed by.

“[I’d] look up in the mirror. I’d say, ‘What a special bond he has with his grandfather, to see that every day,’ ” she told WJAR.

Jack’s mother, Caroline Monterecy, shared that her father would wave “rain or shine,” sometimes holding signs on special occasions. “It became a cultural component of all of the kids, not just Jack,” she said. The children even sang to Peter on his 75th birthday, per the outlet.

Tragically, Peter passed away suddenly this past summer. Caroline recalled the difficult time, saying she and her husband were unsure how to help Jack navigate the loss. “It was our nightmare. They [her father and son] were so close, it was unexpected. We had the funeral the day before the first day of school,” she said.

That’s when Torregrossa stepped in. She attended Peter’s wake and asked the family if she could hang a photo of him at the front of the bus.

“I asked Jack and the family if I could put a picture of Papa with us on the bus so Papa is always with us every day and he’s looking over us,” Torregrossa explained to WJAR.

She also offered Jack a new role. “I [told Jack], ‘When you’re ready to come back to school, you can be my special helper.’ So, I had a name tag made for him when he came back.”

Jack’s father, Jonathan Monterecy, said, “She stepped in and filled a gap, and I don’t think we ever expected a bus driver to play that role. She’s not only played a significant role in Jack’s life but in our lives. When you expect the bus to come to pick up your child, you’re not expecting a support system, and so when Anne gave him this new role and responsibility, not only did it show that she cared about Jack but she wanted the experience he was going to have moving forward to be special.”

Jack himself admitted that “it’s been hard” not seeing his grandfather, but Torregrossa is helping him feel “better.”

The elementary schooler sometimes even visits Torregrossa during school breaks and has shared that he would like to grow up to be a bus driver. “I feel like I can be the best bus driver like Anne,” he told WJAR.