Local student honours late bus driver

By Rob Vogt, Local Press Writer
Kaleb Cook wanted to do something to honour the memory of someone very special to him.
When the Grade 9 student at Willow Creek Composite High School heard his long-time bus driver Norm Lewis had passed away, he was with his mom Jill Cook.
When she said Lewis was gone, Kaleb disagreed.
“Norm is never gone,” he said. “He’s always in our hearts.”
So Kaleb and his mom, who is an artist and graphic designer, set to creating a sticker on that theme.
The result is a sticker that reads, “Norm Lewis – rides with us.” It also has a stylized version of Lewis’ bus with his bus #30.
“When we moved here, he was my bus driver since Kindergarten,” Kaleb said. “He’s been my driver at least 10 years.”
Kaleb attended Stavely Elementary School until the end of Grade 7 then on to Willow Creek Composite High School.
“He’s been in my life for 10 years,” he added.
What illustrates how much Lewis means to Kaleb, and the impact he has had on the youth’s life, is something that happened when Kaleb had a lawn-mowing business.
He took on a job where he needed a tractor.
Lewis had recently purchased a Kubota, so he lent it to Kaleb.
Once the job was done, Kaleb’s dad Verne would not let him return the Kubota until they had cleaned and sharpened everything, making it better than they found it.
When they returned it, Lewis was impressed.
“Kaleb, you are able to borrow my tractor whenever you like,” he said.
That just typified what Lewis meant to Kaleb.
“If we needed anything, he’s the guy to go to,” Kaleb said.
His goal now is to have one of these stickers put on each bus in the Livingstone Range School Division in memory of Norm Lewis.