Thursday, July 30, 2020
Dear Mrs. Maddocks, and family, It saddens me deeply to think of Mr. Maddocks' passing. He was greatly respected as our bus driver. Although he wasn't physically tall, he was "ten-foot tall and bullet proof" as a bus driver, and he knew how to make "law and order" his rule! He left us with the following lasting memory, that I would like to share with you. Our Dad, Bill, worked at Gordon's Garage, which at the time, serviced the buses. We were his final kids to drop off on the "outback" route. None of us can remember how old we were at the time, but obviously not old enough to be left alone on the farm for very long, and our mother, Ada, was ALWAYS home to meet us. On this particular afternoon, instead of turning towards our house at the corner, he turned town. My 2 brothers, my sister, and I were horror-stricken as we looked furiously at each other, not daring to say a word to Mr. Maddocks! What was he doing?? Did he NOT SEE the four of us sitting in those seats???? FEAR was in each of our eyes, as we looked to each other for help. Did he simply forget? Was he kidnapping us? What should we do??? Didn't he see us in that long mirror in front of him?? Finally, after a few miles, he told us that he had been instructed to take us to the garage, and wait to go home with our Dad, as no one was at home to meet us. We often remember that day, and always meant to "chat" with him about it, wondering what was going through his mind as he pulled it off. We couldn't see his eyes in the mirror, but looking back, I'm sure he kept his head down, so that we couldn't see him grinning!! We loved and respected "our" Mr. Maddocks, and was quite relieved to know he wasn't "the boogey man" afterall! In fact, whenever we wanted to go on a bus trip, if Mr. Maddocks was to be the driver, the answer was always "Yes"!! I pray that you will have many more laughable memories like this, come to you throughout the difficult days ahead. Knowing that we'll see Mr. Maddocks again, as a treasure laid up in heaven, gives us blessed assurance. In fact, he's probably visiting with my husband, and they're swapping stories already! Thank you for sharing Mr. Maddocks with the community for so many years, and to Mr. Maddocks we say, "Thanks for the Memories!" With the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Sue (Koch) Greever, Shenandoah, Iowa
