Every small town has its staple citizens -- folks who have lived through the town’s history and have themselves become a part of that history.

Manny Cassar has been one such staple for Fountain Hills, driving countless students over the years on his Owl bus route for the local district and, eventually, driving those students’ kids as well.

It’s been a 30-year adventure; one that’s finally coming to a close with Cassar’s retirement.

Cassar grew up in Malta, a small island just below Sicily. He said his girlfriend and her family moved to Detroit “back in the day.”

“They sent me all of the necessary papers and I followed,” Cassar added.

“I got a job at Ford Motor Company, starting out on production until I got all of my necessary papers, and then I was working in skill trade as a tool-and-dye maker.”

After 30 years with Ford, Cassar decided it was time to retire. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that this would be his first of many retirements.

“My wife’s sister was living in Tucson back then,” Cassar said.

“We visited and enjoyed it so, after a few visits, we decided to come down and buy some property. A few months later we started building our house. That was in November of 1980 and we’ve been here ever since.”

After a few weeks in retirement, Cassar said he started getting bored.

“I was talking to the guy who was building our house about that and he asked if I wanted to come work with them,” Cassar said.

“So I did that for a while, putting sky lights in houses, fireplaces and so forth. That started getting a little tough, so I had to give it up. Eventually I started working at the post office, which I did for about three years, back when it was on Colony Drive, I believe.”

It became clear at this point Cassar did not quite understand the meaning of the word “retire.”

Eventually a position for a groundskeeper opened up in the Fountain Hills School District, but he decided that working outside in Arizona might not be in his best interest. But then a position in transportation opened up, so he thought he’d give that a shot…

“I started driving for the school, made a lot of friends and had a good time,” Cassar said.

“We used to drive to Coronado at the time because we only had the one school at Four Peaks. We’d start out at 5:30 in the morning. Eventually McDowell Mountain came up, and then the high school, and then the Middle School was last.

“There are quite a few people I meet around Fountain Hills who say ‘Hey, Manny,’ and ‘Are you still driving?’ The former mayor, Jay Schlum, was a student on my bus. There were so many.”

Cassar said he did not think he would be driving a bus for the next 30 years. But it’s something he said he certainly does not regret.

“When the district opened up all of its schools, I would get up at about 5:30, then head down to the bus barn to get the bus ready, make sure the lights and brakes work, sweep, and make sure everything is in order,” Cassar continued.

“My first pickup was at 6:50 for the high school and middle school. By about 7:30 we were done, so we used to stop at Bashas’ there and have a cup of coffee, then we’d go pick up the second group of kids. Then we’d turn around and do the same thing in the afternoon.”

Cassar said he always enjoyed his job, whether it was a field trip, a sports trip or the regular route.

“All of the kids were real good,” he said.

“I never had a serious problem with any of my kids. I got along with everybody, they got along with me, and that was my enjoyment. I went a lot of places I probably never would have been to if it wasn’t for this job.”

Most employees working within FHUSD get to interact with individual students for a handful of years at most. Cassar, on the other hand, watched many of them grow up over the course of 13 years, one bus ride at a time.

“It’s an enjoyment,” he reiterated.

“You get to see them grow up. Some of them you see and you know they are going to be a success. Others you see and you know this kid’s parents are doing a good job. And then you see them graduate and go off to become the head of a culinary department at a resort, the manager of a Safeway and things like that.”

Cassar has even had the opportunity to work alongside a couple of his former students this past year, Dimitri Katsafouros and Chad Kiener, who now have jobs at the FHUSD transportation department.

“I couldn’t believe it when Dimitri said he and his sister rode my bus,” Cassar added. “Dimitri is a lot of fun. Chad is a nice guy, too, and quiet.”

Cassar said he actually retired from FHUSD a few years ago, but was eventually convinced to come back and drive a route. He said he is retiring for real this time, even though many have asked him to stay.

This will be his fourth retirement, so there’s a possibility it will actually stick this time around.

“There isn’t one word I can say against anybody because I enjoyed every minute of it,” Cassar said.

“That’s the reason I stayed so long."