School bus driver who collapsed behind the wheel Monday dies

The Fife School District bus driver who had a medical emergency while driving children to school Monday morning has died.

Ryan Callis, a 43-year-old father of three, never regained consciousness, his cousin, Reggie Green, of Tacoma, said Thursday.

Callis died Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, two days after an apparent heart attack incapacitated him while he was driving a 13-ton school bus to Surprise Lake Middle School.

When Callis slumped at the wheel, two 13-year-old students on the bus sprang into action. Jeremy Wuitschick steered the moving bus to the curb and shut the engine off. Johnny Wood also ran to the front of the bus to help out.

Wuitschick and Wood were interviewed about their actions in the “Today” show studio Thursday in New York.

Family members who gathered Thursday at Green’s house in East Tacoma remembered Callis as a dedicated family man who loved to fish and barbeque and devoted his life to assisting others.

“He was a loving and caring person,” said Callis’ mother, Audrey McCray. “He loved helping people.”

McCray flew to Washington State from her home in Houston when she heard about her son’s incident and saw the dramatic video recorded by a camera on the bus and played on national television.

Before going to work for the Fife School District, McCray said, Callis had worked for Pierce Transit for 14 years as a bus driver for special-needs children. He also worked as in-home health care provider, she said.

This story was originally published April 13, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "School bus driver who collapsed behind the wheel Monday dies."