South Jersey Community Sending Beloved Bus Driver To Super Bowl

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — For more than 20 years, Gary Kelmer has been a bus driver in Mount Laurel. He plays the coolest music, hands our airheads and makes sure every child on his bus knows every word to the Philadelphia Eagles fight song. He is a lifelong Eagles fan, and now Mr. Gary is going to the Super Bowl.

“The morning after the Eagles won the NFC, I went to congratulate Mr. Gary on the bus and he was literally crying out of excitement and gave me the biggest hug,” wrote Amy Smith, who has two children who ride Kelmer’s bus. “I told my husband that night that if I could somehow win a Super Bowl ticket, I'd give it to Mr. Gary.”

That’s because in addition to being a bus driver, he has an impact on the lives of the children and those throughout the community. He is known for an annual fishing derby he holds for children. Amy Smith’s husband, Izaak, told her she should start a GoFundMe to help Mr. Gary.

So Amy Smith launched the “Send Mr. Gary To The Super Bowl!!!” GoFundMe page. She wanted to keep it a surprise, and was hoping to raise about $6,000 to send him to the big game in Minneapolis this weekend. She launched the page on Jan. 23, and as of Tuesday, Jan. 30, had raised over $5,000.

On Monday, she surprised Mr. Gary with two tickets to the big game, according to the Burlington County Times. She also paid for Mr. Gary and his wife to fly to Minnesota and come home the same day. She surprised him during his last stop, along with about 50 other people dressed in Eagles gear.

They also surprised him with personalized jerseys for Kelmer and his wife, according to 6 ABC.

It won’t be his first trip to a championship game. He watched the Eagles defeat the Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field in the 1960 NFL Championship Game, according to CBS 3. Kelmer called this surprise a “dream come true” and said he was “ecstatic.”

The 1960 title is one of three the Eagles have won. They won back-to-back titles in 1948 and 1949. All three came in the pre-Super Bowl era. The Eagles are 0-2 in the Super Bowl, including a 24-21 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 season. The rematch in Super Bowl LII at U.S Bank Stadium in Minnesota on Sunday night, Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m.

The attached image was posted on the “Send Mr. Gary To The Super Bowl!!!” GoFundMe page.