Nearly 50 years driving a school bus? This local man loved it and was loved in return

Jun. 16—Steve Young’s job has changed a lot over the last 48 years.

A driver for the Dieringer School District — a small district dating back to 1890, with two elementary schools and one middle school serving roughly five miles of suburban-slash-rural real estate along the shore of Lake Tapps — he’s seen just about everything a person can see from behind the wheel of a yellow school bus.

When he started in the mid 1970s, as an 18-year-old alumnus of the district, Young remembers getting the hang of the unwieldy stick shift and the limited guidance he received, back before you had to be 21 to drive a bus. He also remembers the kids — only a few years younger than he was at the time — and the skeptical looks he received.

Most of all, Young remembers the generations of families he’s shepherded to and from school, and the way he’s seen his community grow along the way.

“Things weren’t like they are now. I mean, now you have to do hours and hours and hours and hours of training. But they took me in a bus down to the fire station and back, and that was about the extent of it,” Young said Tuesday, a week before he will drive his final route on Bus 7.

“One of the drivers here, I drove when she was in kindergarten,” he added with a modest laugh.

“Kind of makes you feel old.”

Standing outside Lake Tapps Elementary, where Young had just unloaded a bus full of children buzzing with energy over the prospect of the last day of school, the 64-year-old wasn’t nearly as exuberant. There are few places he would rather be, he said — repeatedly describing the kids and staff at Dieringer schools like “a family” — but Young is a demure, reserved man, and he’s clearly not much for the spotlight.

Still, when district superintendent Michael Farmer said he wanted to honor Young before he drives into retirement — and invite a columnist from the newspaper to ask a few questions — he eventually succumbed to the idea, he said.

Young would prefer people don’t make a big deal about his retirement, he explained. But he also realizes the number of lives he’s touched over the last five decades and how his departure provides a chance for reflection and shared celebration across the entire district.

“To be honest with you, I figured it was easier than pushing a broom,” Young said of the career choice that shaped his adulthood. “I’m just happy that I’ve been able to be a part of so many people’s lives.”

According to Parker, that’s precisely why Young’s retirement — and his long career — seemed worth commemorating with more than a sheet cake and a few goodbyes.

People come and go, Farmer said, but this one feels different.

“We wanted to do something really nice for Steve. He’s just been here a long time, and people love him,” Farmer said. “He’s real quiet and just goes about his day. He would rather you not make a fuss, but we felt like this was was worthy of a fuss.”

Perhaps few people will miss Young more than Muff Krantz, a fellow Dieringer bus driver who is now finishing her 34th year on the job, making her second in seniority. Of all Young’s coworkers, Krantz has likely developed the closest relationship with him. She knows the things he loves, like NASCAR, and decorating at Christmas, and his brother, who he lives with. And she’s pretty sure she knows what’s kept him going all these years: the kids, and a job where he gets to drive.

Krantz — who’s 69, and also considering retirement in the coming years — said that school days won’t be the same without Young. Though Young never had children of his own, Krantz believes he’s been a quiet, positive force in the lives of many young people.

“It’s going to be very different because Steve is truly a leader,” Krantz said. “He’s just a kind-hearted guy, who loves his family and genuinely loves the kids.”

“He’s strict, but he’s kind, and I think kids really appreciate that,” Krantz continued. “He doesn’t let anyone get picked on … and I think the kids really respect that.”

Asked about his plans, Young said he hopes to travel in retirement and spend time with his beloved beagles, Jaxon and Indy. He’s looking forward to new experiences and also planning to keep his license active, he said, just in case Dieringer needs a substitute driver for a day or two.

Next year, the job of filling the void left by Young’s departure will fall on Michael Allen, Dieringer’s supervisor of transportation.

Allen said it’s important to recognize Young’s career, in part because it helps to remind everyone else why they come to work every day, and how much of an impact they can make in the lives of children.

“I gotta be honest with you: It’s not only about Steve, it’s about us celebrating the fact that we had somebody here that was that good with students for that long,” Allen said.

“It’s important to know that somebody put that much of their life into something, and that we were a part of it.”