THONOTOSASSA, Fla. — Family and friends of Cynthia Gibson are remembering her as funny, irreverent and stylish. 

"She would come off the bus in her uniform," recalls Patricia Scott, a friend and former coworker. "She'd come out the bathroom and you'd think she was Elizabeth Taylor."

Scott met Gibson about more than 30 years ago when she came to work for Hillsborough County Schools as a bus driver. Gibson showed her the ropes and the two women became fast friends. 

"She loved what she did as a bus driver," said Scott. "She took care of her kids on the bus. They'd be the first person we'd see and the last person we'd see."

Gibson has planned to retire at the end of this academic school year. But on Monday, she lost her life while driving to work. Plant City police say she crashed into the back of a tractor trailer on Airport Road. The district's transportation department brought in grief counselors to meet with coworkers. 

"It was a tough blow," said Ruby Shannon, a former school bus driver and friend of Gibson. "Her passion was transportation. Her passion was making sure the driver's had before she had. She would give the shirt off her back if she had to."

That's the generosity friends say will never be forgotten. 

"She's going to be missed by so many because she did so much here at transportation, not only for the kids and the parents but also for the drivers and the riders," Scott said.