Dan Wells was known throughout Bath County simply as Eddie. When retirement came, Wells couldn't just sit still, so he went to the Bath County Schools bus garage and found a new purpose.

Director of Transportation for Bath County Schools Phil Dettwiller said Wells wanted to give back to the community.

"He said he got bored at home. He is too much of a busybody to just sit at home, and wanted to give back to his community. So he came in wanting to drive a bus," Dettwiller said.

No matter the route, Dettwiller said Wells made a point to know every child on his bus.

"He just loved every individual kid that got on that bus and he can tell you stories about every single one of them," Dettwiller said.

Driving a bus was not his only passion; his friend Sammy Knell, said when Wells was not on the road, he was on the water.

"Eddie loved fishing. He would travel to Canada every year. And usually during spring break he would go to Alabama to fish," Knell said.

During the school district's spring break on April 1, Wells was on a fishing trip when he died unexpectedly.

"Eddie couldn't have gone in any other way. He was fishing with his best friends. He sent pictures just hours before he passed away," Dettwiller said.

While the district works to fill his routes, Dettwiller knows firsthand how the children felt about losing their bus driver.

"I was actually driving his bus yesterday morning. The kids got on feeling somber. Most of them understood what happened. They gave me a hug and told me sorry for your loss," Dettwiller said.

The grief extends beyond the bus garage. Friends are feeling his absence, too.

"It's going to be hard without him. For last three years he would be coming here, so it will be a little rough," Knell said.