GRAND MEADOW, Minn. — Glen Davis was a farmer by trade, but most in Grand Meadow and the surrounding communities associated him with a different trade, one that put him behind the wheel of a vehicle that was hard to miss.
On Friday family, friends and community members gathered at St. Finbarr's to bid farewell to Davis, who passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 88. Folks filed past a custom casket designed specifically for Glen, modeled on the bright yellow school bus he drove for 55 of his years on earth.
The casket, donated by his friend Jim Hindt who owns the local funeral home, was painted by Jim's niece who even added his familiar number 3 to the bus motif. It was completed well before his death, and Davis was so proud of the casket he would routinely bring friends by the funeral home to show it off.
Davis ferried multiple generations of children to and from Grand Meadow schools between 1949 and 2005, many of whom called him "Glennie," a nickname that underlined their fondness for him. He was proud that in more than five decades of driving school bus, Glen never had a single accident.
Even after retirement, Davis remained connected to the schools and the kids by attending sporting events, especially football.
Glen Davis is survived by four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.