‘Family keeps me coming back’: Woodland couple still rolling after 101 years combined busing students

They’ve driven parents, their children, and now their grandchildren, and in doing so, Arthur and Linda Simpson have become part of the history and fabric of Woodland School.

This August, the married couple will have logged 101 combined years behind the wheel of a school bus, taking generations of students to and from the rural Streator school, earning a reputation for reliability and unwavering commitment.

“They are dependable and hardworking, and they care a lot about the Woodland family,” Woodland’s transportation secretary Diana Hallam said. “If we need them, they’ll do it. They never say no.”

Linda, 74, first started driving in 1975 after her uncle, Woodland’s then-transportation director, convinced her to help out during a driver shortage.

“At that time, you didn’t need a CDL or any of the special tests you do now,” she said. “He needed a driver, so I did it and I’m still doing it.”

Arthur, 75, joined the following year and never looked back.

“We just enjoy it,” he said. “You see so much over the years - generations of kids, families you’ve known forever.”

The Simpsons have been married for 56 years and together for 59. They first met as teenagers when Linda’s family kept horses and Arthur’s father was the farrier.

“I always say we put feathers on that bulldog,” Arthur joked, referring to Woodland’s warrior mascot and his own roots as a Streator High School alum.

Years later, they’ve raised a family, built a home just down the road from the school and spent decades side by side with the same career.

Though both are now retired from other jobs – Arthur worked at the Thatcher glass plant and Linda spent 40 years working at Woodland’s kitchen – they continue to substitute drive for Woodland and other local schools.

“They’re so versatile,” Hallam said. “Arthur will drive for Grand Ridge, Odell - really just wherever we need him. Linda’s the same way.”

Linda said what keeps her going isn’t just the schedule or the extra income - it’s Woodland’s community and the fact that she’s driven generations at this point.

“I’ve seen children’s children’s children at this point,” she said. “When I worked in the cafeteria, I’d see the same faces I saw on the bus every morning. And now, I’ll run into someone at the grocery store or on cruise night who says, ‘Hi, Linda!’ and I won’t recognize them at first - but they’ll remind me I was their bus driver years ago.”

Arthur and Linda shared stories of their time on the road - including a child once trying to bring a snake onto the bus for show and tell, and a pig that tried to board the bus with its young owner every morning.

While many things have changed in the bus driving industry, the couple said their philosophy has mostly remained the same.

“I don’t yell,” Linda said. “You don’t know what a kid walked out of that house with in the morning. You’ve got to talk to them. Kids need to be heard.”

“You have to like kids to do this job,” Arthur said. “There’s always something - but I still enjoy it to this day,”

Hallam said the Simpsons’ presence at Woodland goes far beyond their job descriptions.

“They’ve had such a positive impact on everyone - staff, students, the whole community,” she said. “They’re upbeat, helpful, and they set a great example for others.”

“They’re just very caring people - they’ve invited the office staff to their home during the holidays.”

Both now driving on a fill-in basis, the couple admits that not every day is perfect. However, the connection they have with Woodland is what keeps them motivated.

“There are days I think about retiring completely,” Linda said. “But it’s the Woodland family that keeps me coming back.”