Tea bus driver retires to focus on education

One local school bus driver has hung up his keys to put his energy into a higher calling. Tom Stadem retired on January 25 from driving bus for the Tea Area School District after 15.5 years of service to focus on completing his Seminary education.

Stadem got his start back when the Tea Area School District was just starting to emerge; in fact, he took the driver seat right when the district started in 2003. “I’ve been driving as long as the school has been a district,” he explained.

Stadem, who was the Youth and Family Director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tea, was recruited by Wayne Larsen, who was looking for a driver after some turnover in his fleet. He caught wind of Stadem’s past experience driving a bus when he was serving in youth ministry out in Wisconsin.

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