Kearney bus driver honored with scholarship fund

Current and former students of Kearney High School are paying tribute to a longtime bus driver. He is a man they said touched their lives.

66 year old Larry neidhardt died over the weekend in an ATV accident.
Wednesday .those who knew him came together raising money for a scholarship.

The news of Larry neidhardt's death was a shock to everyone who knew him and it turns out just about everyone in the kearney community did.

Wednesday many came out showing support and raising money for a Larry neidhardt Scholarship.

If Larry neidhardt was alive to see this it might have made him blush.

"He would be so humble, because he is not the kind to brag about himself at all," said Kellie Konz.

A graduate of Kearney High in 2001, Kellie Konz helped start this scholarship to honor her bus driver and friend. As part of the speech team, he drove her team's bus. And even after she graduated, she kept in touch.

"He will treat you like you never left, like you were still a student on the bus," said Konz.

As a bus driver, he knew the students by name and the students knew him.

"We are always like 'yes, we got Larry for our bus driver'," said Brooke Rodgers. "I think every body knows Larry, if you did not know Larry personally, you knew Larry was the bus driver."

Now they have found a way to keep his name alive throughout the community.

With any luck, they will raise enough money to keep the scholarship going every year to a graduating senior who would be deserving of Larry's memory.

"Caringness and compassion - those are traits important to him and would be important to the recipient," said Konz.

Helping students and the community - that is the life and legacy of Larry neidhardt.

If you would like to donate to the Larry neidhardt memorial fund donations are being collected at platte valley state bank in Kearney.

Larry's funeral will be held Thursday at 10:30 am at first lutheran church in Kearney.

Tags: platte valley state bank,first lutheran church,kearney community,neidhardt,scholarship fund,speech team,bus driver,raising money,former students,state bank,enough money,compassion,recipient,shock,donations,legacy,tribute,memory

Thursday, July 23, 2009 |

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