Just hours after his granddad's funeral, grieving boy boarded the school bus—the driver knew how to comfort him
Children process the loss of a loved one a bit different from adults. It is especially difficult to lose someone who was an integral part of their everyday lives. So when a boy lost his beloved grandpa, he was filled with grief. The 8-year-old Jack Monterecy also had to take the bus to school soon after his grandfather's funeral and it was quite challenging for him. So the bus driver, Anne Marie Torregrossa, came up with an idea to comfort the boy, per NBC 10 WJAR.
The 65-year-old bus driver had always ensured that the students felt safe and happy during their ride to school. "We want them to enjoy the ride and not feel scared. Every day is a different day. Every day it’s another adventure," Anne remarked. The boy started going on the bus three years back as a five-year-old. His parents were not sure how he would feel, as Jack had always been a shy kid. "Jack is a little shy; he can be reserved, so we didn't know how he would do on the bus. He loves anything with wheels; cars, trucks, so I think that helped him, too. Getting to ride on a bus, which was exciting for him," his mom, Caroline, shared. On his way to Oak Lawn Elementary School, the boy also noticed that they passed by his grandpa Peter Magnan's house.
Jack shared the information with his mom. After that, Peter made sure that he greeted Jack on his way to school to make the bus ride easier for him. "My dad, from then on, rain or shine, would go to the end of his road every morning and wave to Jack. On special days, Papa would hold a sign or have something for Jack to try to spice it up, but every day it became a cultural component of all of the kids, not just Jack," Caroline went on. "We would hear from neighbors and other parents of kids who are in Jack's class." Anne recalled that she played a game with the kids in the bus and they counted the boy's grandpa's steps together, all of them excited to see him every day.
"Then, Jack would wave to his grandpa, the grandpa would always stay near the pole, and he would wave to Jack and he’d say, 'Bye buddy, I love you, have a good day.' I look up in the mirror. I'd say, 'What a special bond he has with his grandfather.'" The grandpa came out for his grandson every day for a year and the bus even planned a special surprise for the 75-year-old on his birthday. "They all sang over the loudspeaker, 'Happy Birthday' and he told us that everybody should experience that for their birthday. Unfortunately, it was his last birthday," Caroline shared. It was Jack's first day of school, the day after his grandpa's funeral and the family was worried about his well-being. But then Anne came to the wake and made a special gesture.
"She talked to him at the wake and told him how she was going to make him her helper. She put a picture of Papa by her visor and gave him this role to help distract him. I think we were all nervous about how he would be that first day, not having him there," Caroline continued. "I said, '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," Anne revealed. She also placed wreaths on the spot where the man used to stand during holidays. "It was a hard time, so she was trying to make my life a little better without Papa. She was making me better. It’s been a hard time not seeing Papa," Jack expressed. The gesture helped the boy heal after the loss, according to his family.
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