Cliff Ramsby locked the door and hung up the keys one last time in May not knowing that would be the last time he drove a school bus.

Ramsby retired after driving school buses in Rochelle for five years following a long career that took him down many routes.
Ramsby worked as a substitute bus driver, a position that put him behind the wheel approximately three days a week. Whether it be taking kids to school in the mornings, transporting students to a field trip or driving athletes to a game, Ramsby was always willing to get them there safely.
He was not planning on retiring but decided it was the safest option for the kids due to health complications.
“I really enjoyed working with the kids, being a former teacher,” stated Ramsby. “Having seven of my own children and grandchildren, I would talk with the kids about their life goals and how they could use their God-given talents to reach their goals. I encouraged them to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities the Rochelle and Kishwaukee College system offer.”
Working as a substitute bus driver, Ramsby would cover any one of 25 routes and had the opportunity to take students on field trips and extra curricular events.
Ramsby explained a hard aspect of being a bus driver for him was subbing because most of the routes were unfamiliar and changed slightly each year.
“As a sub bus driver you have the best of both worlds, you have a high paying job but you can choose your days,” stated Ramsby. “I drove about three days a week and put in about 20 hours.”
“The hardest aspect would be discipline of kids. They were always wound up on Fridays and after school. The older I got the less patient I was with the kids,” he explained. “They have a very good discipline system in place here at Rochelle.”
Ramsby first got into driving school buses as a sophomore in college while he attended Northern Illinois University. He would drive fellow college students to and from the Methodist church and back to campus. He had experience hauling wood in a dump truck his father owned while growing up and used the lessons on the land to help him navigate the streets of DeKalb behind the wheel of a school bus.

He continued to drive buses and worked for four different churches throughout his adult life picking up kids to bring to church on Sunday morning.
Ramsby is a man of many talents as his path to retirement took him through a variety of careers and lessons along the way. He graduated from NIU with a degree in education and worked as a teacher. Once he left the classroom he pursued careers in agriculture, factory work, carpentry, electrical and HVAC. The handyman retired from Petro in Rochelle five years ago and then decided to start driving school bus for RTHS.
“I like driving a bus, it is fun working with the kids,” stated Ramsby as to why he decided to drive during his retirement.
Highlights
When asked about his time driving buses for Rochelle, Ramsby has nothing but positives to say about the experience.
“Rochelle has the best school buses in the area by a long shot,” he explained. “The buses are stored in a heated barn, professionally maintained and the administration supports us in discipline and competitive wages.”
“The very best is the director, both past and new, other drivers, aides, coaches and students have become my third family. They are all wonderful people,” he added.
While Ramsby enjoyed the daily interaction and getting to know the students on their way to and from school he really enjoyed driving buses to field trips. Field trips are typically a fun day for students and open them up to opportunities not available inside the classroom. As a bus driver, the field trip also provided opportunities for Ramsby he would not have been offered.
As a bus driver, Ramsby would attend the field trip and not wait inside the bus. He explained most museums and locations offer free admission to bus drivers.
“I am going to miss going on the trips, I really enjoyed the trips,” stated Ramsby. “I have had the opportunity to go to Springfield three times, tour factories around Rochelle and go to Chicago museums.”
As a substitute bus driver, Ramsby had the opportunity to work with all of the drivers for Rochelle and got to know them.
“They are all very dedicated and treat the children as their own. They are all very cooperative and knowledgeable doing their job. Safety is their number one priority,” said Ramsby.
Fellow bus drivers and director Sherri Smith have nothing but positive accolades to say about Ramsby.
“He was a pleasure to work with and always very willing to help out,” stated Smith. “I miss him as a sub. He was a valuable employee and a very positive person.”
Retirement
“I really miss it, I really do,” stated Ramsby of bus driving.
Now that he is retired, the man of many trades has a list of projects to complete. First he needs to clean out his office and shop space that has become an area of collection the last few years. Other plans include making DVDs to share with family members on family history and another on a six week road trip out west.
During his free time, Ramsby has enjoyed crafting Noah’s Ark replicas out of oak and has a list of a dozen people who have requested a model. Once his shop space his cleaned, he will get to work on the arks.