Jason Small, grandfather of Simon Gonzalez, is hugged by his friend Deasy Edwards before the start of a vigil for the 5-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a school bus in Standish. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
STANDISH — The day started off sunny, but as late afternoon came around, the sun hid behind gloomy, gray clouds.
It was as if the weather intentionally matched the sadness of the crowd gathered at the fishing pier on Saturday to honor 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez’s short life.
Over 130 community members, relatives and friends — many of them wearing Gonzalez’s favorite color, yellow, or a mask or blanket with his favorite superhero, Spiderman — lit candles and embraced one another, sharing their grief.
A photo of Simon Gonzalez. Family and supporters gathered Saturday at the vigil for the kindergartener who was struck and killed by a school bus Tuesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Gonzalez was hit and killed by a school bus in Standish on Tuesday morning, sending shock waves through his community. He was the second student to be killed by a school bus in Maine this year.
Jessica Putnam, 47, of Harrison, said she grew up with Gonzalez’s paternal grandfather, whom she called her “second family.”
She said she organized the vigil because she wanted to remember Gonzalez and to raise awareness about school crossing safety.
“Everyone is shaken to their core,” Putnam said. “We really need to rally everyone and try to make things better and safer.”
Gonzalez’s aunt, Sara McLean, 29, remembered her nephew as a “happy” boy and said it was “very nice and heartwarming” to see the community come out to support her family.
That included members of Edna Libby Elementary School, where Gonzalez was a kindergartener.
Kari Poirier, 55, works at the school as an ed tech. She said she didn’t know Gonzalez well, but wanted to support him and his family.
“It’s amazing the outpouring of support that everyone has shown,” Poirier said. “It’s been very touching.”
After the crash on Tuesday, the school remained closed Wednesday and offered counseling services to students and staff.
“The Bonny Eagle community has been deeply impacted by this tragedy and while we can’t change the past, we must move forward together,” Clay Gleason, superintendent of MSAD 6, said in a statement earlier this week.
Yellow balloons float up into the sky Saturday. Yellow was Simon Gonzalez’s favorite color. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
‘A VERY SPECIAL BOY’
The vigil was held at the town boat launch where Gonzalez would sometimes go ice fishing with his grandfather, 48-year-old Jason Small, of Casco, whom he called “Beepa.”
“He was a very special boy,” Small said. “He loved being with his people.”
That was especially true for his grandfather, said Stacey Edgerly, 58, of Oxford, noting the two spent every minute together that they could.
“He did a lot for his grandson,” Edgerly said.
Small is now advocating for bus safety improvements to be made in honor of his grandson — and 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, who died Nov. 21 after he was hit by a school bus in Rockland.
“I would like to see a human monitor on the bus, or a brake where the bus driver has to physically pump the brakes and get out to make sure there isn’t a student,” Small said. “If it takes another five minutes, who cares? At least we’re not burying another child.”
Family and supporters gather for the vigil Saturday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Three state lawmakers are also working on a bill that would require more buses to have and use crossing arms. A traffic report produced after Callahan was killed shows that bus was equipped with a crossing arm, but it was not in use.
The Standish crash is still under investigation by the Maine State Police and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and now involves members of the National Transportation Safety Board. Sheriff Kevin Joyce has told the public to expect their investigation to take some time.
“I am aware of the shock that this matter has placed on all of us and the need for answers as to how this happened. I want to be clear that this will take time,” Joyce said in a statement Thursday. “I know the hurt that the community feels but it is imperative that we allow the evidence and facts to lead this investigation.”
Neither bus driver has been charged. Small said he forgives the driver who hit Gonzalez.
“I’m sorry she has to go through this as well. It’s not fair to her either,” he said. “She’s not a bad person, and she loves the children. The system failed.”
As the vigil came to a close Saturday afternoon, the crowd joined together to sing “Amazing Grace,” and Small put his arms around a family member.
Above them, yellow balloons found their way to the sky.
