"She was bubbly, she was the type of person that if there was a need, she was always there 110 percent trying to help."
It's memories, that remind Jeff Riddle of the kind of person his wife was.
"What I miss most about her is her support and having her here. Her smile. Our talks," said Jeff Riddle,
It's been 6 months since a December bus crash took Kim Riddle's life. The couple would have celebrated their 17th anniversary this year.
"You know I know the kids really miss her," said Riddle. "Being here and supporting them in their sports and education."
Some reports suggest Riddle died trying to shield children in the fatal accident.
"That was the way she would be you know, always trying to look out for somebody else besides herself, she gave up herself to help others," said Riddle.
Jeff Riddle reminisces as he sits on a leather couch in his living room, a place where he often found his wife.
"This was almost like a sanctuary for her you know," said Riddle. "I would come in the house she would either be laying here taking a nap from a long day or studying for upcoming tests or working on something as far as activities for the youth at the church or watching TV or just meditating, reading in the word."
As a teacher, a youth minister and a mother, Kim was always around children.
"Kim was very dedicated about wanting to become an educator. She just had this God-given talent to be around children," said Riddle, "I think the youth at our church miss her because she was a go-getter she saw something they needed she would do everything in her power to try and accomplish it."
Teaching, he says was something they both loved to do.
"That was one of the things that kind of brought us together," said Riddle. "Something that we both had a compassion for, young people."
Early this year, the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas added Riddles' name to its Memorial to Fallen Educators. On June 11, the organization re-dedicated the memorial and hosted a tribute to Kim Riddle.
"Our goals in this life is to leave some type of legacy," said Jeff Riddle. "So I think she has accomplished you know her legacy, being honored as a fallen teacher."
Riddle was in the process of taking tests to become a certified teacher before she died.
"If she had it her way, she would strive to still be making a difference you know in these lives of these young men and young women," said Jeff Riddle.
Riddle says his wife loved to decorate, and in her absence he has placed photos and paintings that remind him of her around the walls of their home. Her truck still sits in the driveway. A Falcon Football Mom sticker proudly placed on the back.
"Every day I come home I see the truck and I always catch myself thinking that she's here because that was always the indicators she was home was the truck," said Riddle.
It's just one of the mementos he's left. A handwritten verse joins pictures on their fridge, "As he lives, so we live in this world." It's presence a testament to the encouragement Kim gave her family.
"She just gave me a feeling of security, and warmth. She would always encourage me. Leave little bible verses."
Now a single parent, Riddle faces the task of raising their two children by himself.
"You have to have some faith," said Riddle. "And you draw your strength from that. You make sure you surround yourself with a support system, because you just can't do it by yourself. If you do, you get depressed and you feel defeated. It's workable. It's tough, but workable."
A police report released earlier this month names the cause of the accident as distracted driving. Describing that the driver behind the wheel was texting.
"When I first got the news and they said it was based upon texting, it threw me for a loop I couldn't even say anything I was numb."
Riddle says hearing the news was like reliving the moment over again. Originally, he hoped that it would be a malfunction of the bus, but he hopes people will learn from the truth.
"I want it to speak volumes to people that they need to think about what they are doing while they are driving," said Riddle.
For now, his focus is being a father and guiding his children through the difficult journey ahead.
"Our faith has always been the strength from the beginning from finding out. I draw my strength from the Lord and the support of my family, friends, church members. I've even been getting support from people I don't even know but just thankful how the community poured together in the midst of a tragedy."
