90-year-old bus driver retires from Harrison County School District

Recently a Harrison County School District bus driver retired and her love and care will be missed by many.

“We are going to miss her so much. Everybody calls her Momma Jean. When she gets here in the morning, you got to make sure you say hey to Momma Jean because she’ll get you if you don’t.”

Recently retired, Jean Jenkins, or Momma Jean as most call her, is originally from New Jersey, coming to Mississippi to avoid the cold and spend more time with family. She’s held a host of jobs in her lifetime, but mainly enjoyed being behind the wheel. “I drove 18-wheeler, straight job. I drove school bus.”

For the last ten years, Momma Jean never expected to gain such appreciation working with special needs children at the Harrison County Child Development Center. “It is a joy, especially meeting all the little youngsters that some of them are locked in their own bodies and don’t even know what reality is, but they’re so precious and try to take care of them the best you can.”

There’s not many who don’t like Momma Jean. “The kids love her; the staff loves her. She’s a spitfire, I’ve said that before. She has something that she’s complaining about she’s got a valid reason. She will let me know well, this one you know, you need to keep an eye on this one or you know this baby’s sick. She’s just got that natural maternal instinct.”

That maternal instinct comes from the many kids she had of her own. “But these little babies, they need nurturing, they need love, just like the regular children. They have feelings also. They may not be able to bring it out to tell you how they feel or what they feel or what they need.”

Even though she might be hanging up the keys to the bus, she’s not gone for good. “It’s going to be hard to not see her every day, but she told me I’m not getting rid of her that fast. So, I’m counting on her coming around and quite often.”

“They are not going to be stuck. They’re not going to be away from me. I’m going to be around like that bad thorn. Every time you looked up; I might be here. Good lord has kept me here. I don’t know maybe I’ll still be here. Maybe I’ll make it to a 100, I don’t know. It’s a possibility but it’s up to him.”