The flag outside the Metro Transit office was at half-mast yesterday.
It was one of many expressions of grief for Dann Little, a bus driver who became briefly famous only to tragically take his own life this past weekend.
Last month Little became somewhat of a news celebrity when he clubbed a fake seal prop used by seal hunt protesters on Spring Garden Road. Little apologized and initially got a suspension for the incident.
But last Friday Little learned he had been fired due to the seal incident and two workplace complaints. The next day he hanged himself at his family home in Middle Sackville.
“My husband was a great person, a wonderful father and he would do anything for anybody,” Andrea Little told TV reporters Monday.
Little’s family said he was afraid to tell his employer that he was on anti-depressants, and was undergoing tests for a blocked artery leading to his brain. They said he was saving his sick days in case an operation was needed.
Little had been a recognizable face for Metro Transit for about three years. He had a goatee that he often died different colours, from purple to pink to green.
A Facebook group has provided many with an outlet for mourning. The comments paint a picture of a man with a strong sense of humour, always willing to help out others.
“I always got on your bus almost every day and you always made me laugh,” reads one comment.
“You were always there to help the new people. I appreciated that and will miss your laughter,” posts a colleague.
Metro Transit issued a brief statement yesterday saying they extend their sympathies to Little’s friends and coworkers, but wouldn’t be commenting further out of respect to the family.
