Matthew Joseph “Joe” Bunch, a beloved Dorchester District 2 employee, died Wednesday following a car wreck outside Ashley Ridge High School.
Bunch, 69, of 204 Pinewood Dr., died from injuries sustained in the two-car collision outside the new high school on S.C. Hwy. 165, Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet said.
The Jeep SUV Bunch was in was struck by a Dodge SUV, said Lance Cpl. Bob Beres of the S.C. Highway Patrol.
Bunch was stopped at an entrance to the school about 11:45 a.m. when the Dodge — attempting to turn from S.C. Hwy. 165 into the school — lost control and struck the driver’s side of the Jeep, Beres said. The accident remains under investigation, he said.
Bunch was transported to Medical University Hospital in Charleston but didn’t survive surgery, District 2 Public Information Office Pat Raynor said.
The other driver was identified as Michele Bining, 39, of Summerville, Beres said. She also was taken to Medical University Hospital, he said, but the hospital didn’t have her listed as a patient Thursday morning.
Employees in the District 2 office were in disbelief Wednesday. They were happy to pay homage to a man Superintendent Joe Pye said, “cannot be replaced.”
“I never considered Joe to be an employee because he was a friend to all of us,” Pye said. “Joe Bunch is the most loved person to ever work in our school district.”
Pye continued: “He was appreciated and valued by the entire community. Dorchester District 2 was his life and he served this district with passion and with compassion.”
Raynor said Bunch was a fixture in the community.
“He has worked with us for a number of years and was a one-of-a-kind type of guy,” she said. “A lot of folks here knew him not just as an employee of the district, but as a friend as well.”

Staff Writer Michael Tannebaum contributed to this report.

Contact David Berman at 873-9424 ext. 214 or dberman@journalscene.com