Shortly after 1:30 AM, I woke in the middle of a cute dream and I realized that after about 15 minutes of being awake, I was still smiling from the dream.

Judy Huffman and her husband, Ron, lived east of us on Main Street in Elwood, Indiana, with their three daughters, Rhonda, Lynn, and Rae. Judy was a longtime bus driver for Elwood schools and I got to spend many hours with her going to and from the high school, to student teach, and to band and other music events. She was also the school bus driver for my younger siblings.

When I was a small boy, Judy was the police department’s meter maid, dressed in an imposing navy blue uniform. By the time I was in junior high school, she was driving the yellow school bus. It wasn’t until high school that I would see her daily. My last two years of high school, I assisted my band director with the elementary band programs, and I got to spend an additional daily 20 minutes with Judy as she drove the bus to Oakland Elementary School on the south side of Elwood. We always had the best conversations, punctuated with much laughter.

Judy’s smile and laughter could have set off the Richter Scale. I loved hearing her laugh. Judy also ran a tight ship on the bus and she was demanding that the etiquette be followed for our safety, riding comfort, and simply because she loved all her kids.

Last night, I dreamt I was hurrying to a bus lineup but cannot recall to where I was headed. I found the row of Dayton RTA buses all parked with their fronts to the curb where I easily spied No. 17. As I rounded the front end and prepared to step onto the bus, I heard a familiar, cheery voice shout, “Hello, Stranger!” I looked up and there sat Judy Wright Huffman in the driver’s seat.

I tried to move quicker but suddenly, an inflatable raft, which I didn’t realize I was carrying, decided to inflate.

“Now, you can’t get on the bus with that raft!” she laughed.

I promptly and nervously pressed the raft to my chest to push out the air. As it was nearly empty, Judy reached and pulled a chord which ignited another round of inflating as I struggled to deflate it, worrying about any passengers behind me which I could not see.

For some reason, Judy’s husband was seated behind her in the first passenger seat and said, “Judy, stop inflating his raft,” to which Judy laughed, “if you can’t joke with Darin the world’s gotta be ending.”

I have no idea what sparked the silly dream but it was appreciated and it was delightful. And, I’m glad there was a connection with a wonderful neighbor and bus driver, who like so many in my hometown, had a tremendous impact on me. We had many wonderful bus drivers when I was in school, many of whom were band parents, but Judy Huffman was MY bus driver.

Judy passed away in April 2020, just after the world had shut down due to Covid. The city promoted a mini parade in her honor since her funeral had to be a private family service. But the community turned out to see a procession of family cars, a school bus, and a police cruiser to honor Judy’s dedication to our community.

It’s been approximately six hours since I had the dream, and I am still smiling.

Keep driving the bus, Judy! I’m sure you’re such a blast on heaven’s streets!

Make it a great day!