Printer friendly version |   E-mail to a friend

 

‘Irreplaceable’ District 2 employee dies after wreck

Published Thursday, October 09, 2008 12:08 PM

By David Berman
Summerville Journal Scene ®

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

Notice about comments:

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!