See photos from Martha's retirement party Fulton (WSYR-TV) -- Parents and students gathered to say goodbye to a beloved bus driver in Fulton on Thursday. Martha Becker has been a bus driver for 42 years.
Becker knows each of the students by name and as each of them got off her bus it was always a goodbye and a wave. But this year, the last day of school marked the end of the road for her career behind the wheel.
Becker says she has a lot of good memories, sad memories and has made a lot of good friends through the years.
Kitty Metcalf says she could trust Becker with her kids.
“She would always make sure an adult was at home before she let the child go; she always made sure. Every kid was liker her own child,” Metcalf said.
Over the years, she's driven at least a dozen buses. After five years you get your name on the side, but since this bus isn't retiring, it’ll soon get a new name.
With Becker’s last stop of the day, comes a new chapter in her life as she settles into her much-deserved retirement.
A mother of six and grandmother to 16, Becker says she’ll miss her days as a bus driver.
“So many wonderful people, I can’t believe I’ve touched this many,” Becker said.
Becker has driven three generations to Lanigan Elementary in Fulton. All of her kids and many of her grandchildren also rode Becker’s bus to school.
