School bus driver with 'infectious laugh' remembered by family after fatal crash

David James Stewart was a dad and grandpa who was as comfortable having tea parties with his granddaughters as he was tinkering with small engines with his grandsons, listening to oldies as his infectious laugh rang through his garage, his family said. 

Stewart, 71, the school bus driver killed in a collision Monday outside of Woodstock, is being remembered as a well-rounded family man who was a proud husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. 

He died when the Langs Bus Line bus collided with an unmarked Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) cruiser at the intersection of Highway 59 and Oxford County Road 33 in East Zorra-Tavistock Township shortly before 7 a.m. 

The Ontario Provincial Police Association identified Det. Const. Steven Tourangeau, 35, as the driver of the cruiser. He was with the OPP's Huron-Perth Community Street Crime Unit, and the fifth Ontario police officer to die this year. 

Stewart's daughters said their dad was well-known in Woodstock from his small engine repair business. 

"He loved watching football and Nascar, camping, boating and fishing," his daughters said in a statement to CBC News. "He always had a smile on his face and loved cracking jokes. His laugh was infectious." 

Asking for privacy, Stewart's family said he also loved spending time with his wife and all of the kids on the school bus he drove.

Langs Bus Line also released a statement. 

"We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost," company owner Kevin Langs said.

"Dave has been a dedicated school bus driver in the Hickson area for the past four years.  He will be greatly missed by all whose lives he's touched, here at Langs and in the school communities he served.  Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time."

Stewart was a motorcycle and small engine mechanic by trade, according to an obituary on Brock & Visser Funeral Home, and he owned Conner Lawn and Marine before his retirement. He then worked for 12 years as a bus driver. 

"He loved NASCAR, the NFL and fishing," said the obituary, "but family was everything. He was greatly loved, and will be greatly missed." 

The site of the collision is set to become an all-way stop next month, said Phil Schaefer, Mayor of East Zorra-Tavistock Township. 

Several neighbours who live near the intersection told CBC News that the area has been dangerous and problematic for years. They said vehicles frequently go through the stop sign without stopping.