Late former Lynbrook bus driver honored for his dedication

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For 13 years, Joe Nutini would often be seen smiling as he picked up Lynbrook Kindergarten Center students on the orange bus, which was regularly decorated with the artwork of his passengers.

“He knew everyone’s name,” said his daughter, Beverly Conforti. “He knew everything about them.”

Nutini was responsible for those who live on the north side of the village every school day. He died on March 19, 2015, at 85, but residents fondly remember him for his welcoming wave and positive disposition. To commemorate his life and dedication, a monument of an orange ribbon and a plaque with his name on it was unveiled near the West End Elementary School playground on March 14. The bow is symbolic of parents tying ribbons to their childrens’ backpacks corresponding with their bus color. Orange pays homage to Nutini’s bus.

Nutini drove more than 1,200 Lynbrook students to kindergarten during his time as a bus driver. He did runs at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. every day, and his final stop was the walkway to West End, where the memorial now stands.

“For many of us, Joe was the first person that we entrusted our children’s transportation to,” said Jeanine DiFiore, whose three eldest sons had Nutini as a driver. “And I always felt confident.”

DiFiore, whose father, Howard Frauenberger, crafted the monument, spoke at the ceremony and shared stories about Nutini. Dozens of residents braved the cold temperatures to attend the event, and the fourth- and fifth-grade choir performed songs. In addition to Beverly Conforti, Nutini’s family members in attendance included Beverly’s husband, Bob, their daughter, Vicky Demetriou, and her 2-year-old daughter, Hannah.

“I know my grandfather is beaming watching this, because Lynbrook was his life,” Demetriou said.

Nutini lived on the East Rockaway and Bay Park border. He served his country as a paratrooper in the Army and was stationed in Japan toward the end of World War II. When he returned home, he got a job as a truck driver for Mobile Gas. His hobbies included hunting and stock car racing at the old Freeport Stadium.

When he retired from truck driving, Nutini became a bus driver. In 2001, he started working for Lynbrook. “These people mean so much to my father and he just loved them,” Beverly said. “I really do think it made him live longer. He had a purpose, every day, to get up. They were like surrogate grandchildren. He just adored them.”

Nutini’s life was not without hardship. His wife, Jean, died in July 2012. Three months later, his home was heavily damaged in Hurricane Sandy. In March 2014, Nutini slipped on a patch of ice at the bus yard and broke his ankle. He had to have plates put in, but he was allergic to the metal and it caused an infection. He died a year later and dozens of Lynbrook students attended his funeral.

Nutini’s memory lives on through the stories of his dedication to Lynbrook students. Beverly said that one time he had to have his appendix taken out, so she called the bus company to tell them he wasn’t going to make it in. “I told him I called the bus company, and he said, ‘What’d you do that for?’” she recalled. “So he yelled at me and my sister and my mother.”

DiFiore shared a story that offered a glimpse into how much Nutini’s job meant to him and how it stayed with him long after he retired. DiFiore works at NYU Winthrop Hospital and when she paid Nutini a visit on one of the last days before his death, he didn’t recognize her or remember her name.

“A couple of hours later, I went back in to check on him,” she recounted, “and he said, ‘I can’t remember your name, but your stop is Highland and Stevenson.’”